Photographing Wonderland | History of Science Museum

Photographing Wonderland

Curiouser and curiouser ...

The name Lewis Carroll conjures up vivid images of Alice and the White Rabbit; the Jabberwock with eyes of flame, and hunting the elusive Snark.

But the real man behind the pen name was Charles L. Dodgson, lecturer in mathematics at Christ Church College, Oxford, and successful amateur photographer.

Sitters for his portraits included famous names — like Michael Faraday and Alfred, Lord Tennyson — and the Dean of Christ Church, Henry Liddell, whose daughter Alice inspired the famous stories.

Discover the real Lewis Carroll

Ghostly mirrors ...

Meet Pepper's Ghost ...

Create your own Victorian theatre ghost illusion using:

CD case
shoebox
some craft items
two figures to represent the actor and the ghost (we used an owl and a reindeer!).

> Your instructions on how to recreate Pepper's Ghost

> Find out how the Pepper's Ghost illusion works

841px peppers ghost stage set up 1862 le monde illustre

Pepper's Ghost stage set up, Le Monde Illustré, 1862

Alice in Wonderland trail

Draw your own Cheshire Cat

You're 6 easy steps away from drawing your own Cheshire Cat

All you have to do is:

Download the step-by-step instructions
Grab some pens, paper and an eraser (practice makes perfect!)
Follow the steps

Then relax while you colour in your masterpiece to create your own personal smiling cat.

More to explore: Drawing instruments in the Museum

Take a look at this set of drawing instruments from the early eighteenth century and find out how our experts carefully swabbed and buffed to return it to its former glory.

Image of smiling cat

Take the #PictureThis Challenge

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Charles Dodgson's photographic equipment

Well-known gentleman photographer Charles Dodgson took portraits of the great and the good — and of his Oxford friends and their families.

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What is a Magic Lantern?

Developed in the 17th century, magic lanterns used a lens, mirror and candle to project hand-painted glass slides onto a surface. In Lewis Carroll's time, magic lantern shows became an early form of cinema.

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Magic Lantern slides

Take a look a all 24 hand-painted magic lantern slides showing scenes from Alice in Wonderland.

Read their story

Queen Eleanor and Fair Rosamund

This rare surviving photograph by Charles Dodgson shows Annie Rogers and Mary Jackson as Queen Eleanor and Fair Rosamund.

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Portrait of Charles Dodgson

Postcard of Lewis Carroll (aka Charles Dodgson) printed for the National Portrait Gallery.

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Alice's Dodo

A print of the now-extinct Dodo which featured in Lewis Carroll's Alice stories.

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Charles Dodgson at Christ Church College

Despite his growing wealth and fame, Charles Dodgson was happy in later life to keep living and working at Christ Church College where he remained until his death in 1898.