General Sir Douglas Haig- Magic Lantern Slides
During the First World War when New Zealanders on the 'home front' were far away from the front line and struggled to get accurate photographs published in the press, seeing photos of commanders like Haig would have been important.
Sir Douglas Haig is pictured here after his promotion to General in late 1914 but before his rise to Field Marshal in 1917. A senior commander for much of the war, he has a complicated legacy. Once nicknamed 'the master of the field' and 'the man who won the war' he is now known as 'the butcher of the Somme'- forever linked with the bloody attrition of trench warfare and backward thinking military tactics. However, historians are still divided over which of these legacies is the most deserved.
This 'magic lantern slide' was designed to be inserted into a protector (most likely powered by a lightbulb or, for bigger audiences, a carbon arc lamp) and enlarged onto a screen. Haig's photograph would have been shown in cinemas, schools and churches as well as in community meeting urging patriotism for the war.
The corner of the slide indicates that it was made in London and it's copies would have served a similar purpose there.
