As a photographic genre, the magic lantern slide was especially useful in enabling group showings of members and other amateur's work.
The American Lantern Slide Exchange sprang from the Society of Amateur Photographers' efforts to get critical reviews of the works of its members and to see the work that other, similar societies across the country were doing. From a social standpoint, lantern slides allowed members to gather together to see some work, discuss it and perhaps become inspired to strive further. One of the acknowledged masters of the lantern slide was Alfred Steiglitz. Many of his most famous early views, Winter, Fifth Avenue, and Icy Night were first displayed in lantern slide format at The Camera Club of New York.

This lantern slide from our collection bore a label, we got in touch with Anthony T. Troncale , President of The Camera Club of New York, 1991-92 & Archivist, 1986-1992, who kindly supplied us with information about it's maker.

The label dates lantern slide between 1888 and 1896. William Fraser was a member in the days when Alfred Stieglitz was lantern slide officer. In fact, the Club's journal Camera Notes (1897-1903) was edited by Stieglitz and he published some of Fraser's work from Central Park.