Lantern slides were a method of advertising by theater owners.  Provided by film companies, the slides were shown before or in between features to  entice the movie-goers to come back next week for a new feature presentation.                                                                             (Slide courtesy of Doug Capra)

Some examples of commonly used slides

A Girl's Desire                      Directed by David Divad *                         Produced by Vitagraph Prod. Released: 10 Sep. 1922 Genre: Melodrama/Comedy Review from the All Movie Guide: "Alice Calhoun stars in this society drama, which is not without comic overtones.  Elizabeth Browne (Calhoun) is the daughter of nouveau riche parents (James Donnelly and Victory Bateman), who became wealthy when they struck oil.  While she attends finishing school, her folks travel to England in search of a family tree so that they can enter society.  They encounter Lady Dysart (Lillian Lawrence), an adventuress who married Lord Dysart shortly before his death.  Lady Dysart tries to convince the Brownes that Cecil (Frank Hall Crane), her son from a previous marriage, is the new Lord Dysart.  A match between Elizabeth and the mercenary Cecil seems likely until Lord Dysart's real son (Warner Baxter) shows up, called home on the advice of his solicitors.  He disguises himself as a man named Jones and becomes Papa Browne's secretary.  The scheming Lady Dysart and her son are unmasked, and Elizabeth marries the real Lord Dysart".                                                   - Janiss Garza (c) Vitagraph LP 18098 * Director David Divad's real name was David Smith.

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