2025 Essays

Casting Shadows: Women’s Work at the Projection Department of Maison de la Bonne Presse (1895- 1920)

Moens, Bart G.

Embarking on a search for photographic lantern slides in francophone countries, one quickly encounters considerable quantities of slides from the French Catholic press organ Maison de la Bonne Presse. These lantern slides, marked by the publisher’s printed labels featuring neatly handwritten titles, stand out for their meticulous finishings, especially their vibrant colors. This essay highlights women’s contributions at Maison de la Bonne Presse, a key player in the European lantern industry from 1895 to the 1940s. It explores issues of gender, working conditions, and the quality of labor, and uncovers previous historical omissions. In doing so, this research contributes to feminist film history by showing that women’s work for the screen both predates and extends beyond film at the turn of the twentieth century.