Tussen politiek en zelfpromotie

Between politics and self-promotion. The pro-Boer lantern lectures of Johannes Adam Wormser (1899-1900)

The projection lantern played a prominent role in the Second Boer War (1899-1900) as a ‘media war’. In the Netherlands, this technology was widely used to fuel pro-Boer sentiment. Politician and publisher Johan Adam Wormser jr. (1845-1916) can be considered a pioneer in this development. This article poses the question: which rhetorical strategies did Wormser use in his lantern lectures and which purposes did they serve? The answers shed light on the specificity of lantern lectures, as well as pivotal aspects of lantern culture in the Netherlands of the fin-de-siècle. The projection lantern offered involved citizens and mass audiences new opportunities to engage in the visual culture and public debate surrounding the war that were not dictated by the state, ideological institutions, nor by the press or the entertainment economy.