Obscura Day will be held April 28 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Dittrick Medical History Center and Museum in the Allen Memorial Library Building. Obscura Day 2012 will entertain visitors with an authentic period magic lantern show, a display of seldom-seen World War I medical photographs documenting Cleveland’s Lakeside Unit, and a look at the Dittrick’s spectacle and eyeglass collection, which is not normally on public view.
John Davidson collects magic lantern slides and projectors from the 19th century. On Obscura Day, he’ll present a magic lantern show using an authentic period projector and magic lantern slide show.
Jennifer Nieves, the Dittrick Museum archivist, will present the Lakeside Unit collections documenting the heroic medical endeavors of the Cleveland hospital unit serving in France. These collections comprise diaries, scrapbooks and photos that laid the groundwork for the founding of the Cleveland Clinic by Lakeside Unit leader George Crile.
Much of the Dittrick Museum’s artifact collection is seldom seen, but on this night visitors will see eyeglasses, lorngettes, pince-nez and spectacles from bygone times.
This is a ticketed event with limited space; tickets must be purchased online.