Museums’ collections are constantly growing, and new acquisitions can take many shapes and sizes. Our collection at the National Science and Media Museum focuses on the science and technological achievements behind photography, film, television, videogames and sound.
The collections services team is responsible for the care of all new and existing museum objects, on arrival, while on display or in storage. We undertake their documentation, conservation and digitisation. This work often goes on behind the scenes, but it is crucial for the use, research and enjoyment of the collections by all of us!
What is a magic lantern?
A magic lantern is an early type of projector developed in the 17th century. It uses an artificial light source like a bulb or candle flame to project hand-painted images, transfers, prints or photographs on a glass slide. The magic lanterns and magic lantern slides were commonly used until the mid-20th century as a popular means of entertainment, with images exploring many themes from life, society, vices, popular songs, comic subjects, tales, religion and more.
This particular collection of slides was previously part of the lending library of Riley Brothers of Bradford, and featured Bradford city in some of the images. It is fascinating going through a collection and finding known landscapes, realising how much and how little they have changed.
Example of the Bradford cityscape (Hustlergate), then and now.
The images in this collection were produced by posing models – local volunteers or the photographer’s family and friends – alongside furniture and other props in front of hand-painted backcloths or in real-life city and landscapes. The resulting photographs were then mass produced in both black and white and hand-coloured versions. This type of slide became known as life models, as they were used to illustrate narratives, songs and other texts. In the words of Toni Booth, our curator of film, ‘they carry powerful visual storytelling narratives that engaged audiences in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and can still do so today’.
Documenting and conserving the collection
Our newly acquired magic lantern life model slides collection comprises 182 magic lantern sets, varying from 2 to 60 but averaging 12 slides per set. The total number of individual slides is 2647—quite a large number for the team to process. The slides are 80mm by 80mm in size—a very common size found in the UK—and composed of two sheets of glass, one bearing the image and the other a cover which protects the image. The two layers are kept together by a strip of black paper tape around the edges, called binding paper. The images are mostly photographic with some printed examples. They are mostly black and white images which have had colour added by hand, though there are some exclusively black and white sets.
Due to the size of this collection, the conservation team called in support from colleagues in the wider collections services and curatorial teams.
The team at work with different workstations: documentation, photography, condition reporting, cleaning and rehousing.
The tasks include documentation, photography, condition reporting, cleaning, rehousing and storage. Find out what each of these stages involves below.
Documentation
Documentation starts by giving each set its unique and identifiable number. All the relevant object information is recorded in the museum’s collection management system. This ensures all colleagues with access to the database can find each set’s overall description, condition, location and associated hazards.
Photography
In the first instance, basic photographic documentation of each set was captured using transmitted and reflective light. Transmitted light was taken using a lightbox, to ensure there is a record of the content/image of each slide. Reflective light gives information about the materiality of the object, for example where areas of loss or breakage become more apparent.
Examples of transmitted light through a lightbox (left) and reflective light from ambient room (right).
Condition reporting
A museum conservator describes the condition of slides upon arrival. This step, alongside photographic documentation, is crucial in monitoring for any deterioration of objects during storage and after display.
This collection is in good condition, particularly given its age and previous use. Common damage found includes surface dirt, minor cracks, lifting and losses to binding papers, fading of hand-coloured dyes and minor image silver corrosion. The images below are good examples on how the colours are still so nuanced, vibrant and clear.
Crack to cover glass in the lower right corner of the image on the left. Lifting and losses to binding paper in the top side of the image on the right.
Conservation treatment
Conservation treatments are performed by trained conservators. Interns, volunteers and colleagues from other departments can help with some treatments, as long as they are guided and supervised by conservators.
In the context of this project, minor surface cleaning was performed on each slide with microfibre cloths.
Rehousing and storage
Museum collections are often stored following the 3-step storage approach. This means that each object is individually rehoused inside an enclosure, placed in a box, and the box is stored on a shelf or in a cabinet. Importantly, all materials that come into direct contact with objects are inert and will not contribute towards their degradation.
For this collection, each lantern slide was rehoused in four-flap paper envelopes and placed upright in the metal drawers of a plan chest. The drawers have been lined with foam to provide appropriate padding and metal dividers were used to ensure objects are kept in the desired upright position.
Storage improvements being achieved (work in progress).
The storage facility itself is environmentally controlled and monitored to ensure the collection’ long term care.
Working alongside with colleagues from other teams to process this large acquisition has been fantastic, particularly when what is achieved is so neat and satisfying. It is rewarding to connect with colleagues over a collection that is relevant to the museum’s place within the Bradford community.
CyberSEO Pro and RSS Retriever plugins for WordPress can translate imported articles into different languages and rewrite their content using OpenAI GPT models while preserving the original HTML markup.
CyberSEO Pro supports three third-party services for automatic article translation: Google Translate, Yandex Translate, and DeepL.
Using these services requires a subscription to their APIs.
By using an existing OpenAI API key, users can translate their content into foreign languages without incurring additional costs from third-party services.
To preserve the HTML markup of the original article, users need to add the phrase “return the result in HTML format” at the end of their prompt.
Long-term Implications and Possible Future Developments
The ability to translate articles into different languages while preserving their HTML markup has several long-term implications:
Content Localization: With the ability to easily translate content into multiple languages, website owners can reach a wider international audience. This can lead to increased traffic, engagement, and potential monetization opportunities.
Improved User Experience: By providing content in the user’s preferred language, websites can enhance the overall user experience and promote better engagement and customer satisfaction.
Global Market Expansion: Businesses can leverage the translation feature to expand their reach into international markets without investing heavily in language expertise or translation services. This can open up new business opportunities and revenue streams.
Enhanced SEO: Translating content into different languages can improve search engine optimization (SEO) by targeting keywords in different languages and attracting multilingual users. This can result in higher organic rankings and increased visibility.
In terms of future developments, here are a few possibilities:
Improved Translation Accuracy: As OpenAI continues to refine and train its models, the accuracy of translation outputs is likely to improve. This would make content localization even more reliable and effective.
Expansion of Supported Languages: While the current plugins support several popular translation services, there may be future updates that expand the range of supported languages and translation options, catering to a broader user base.
Integration with Machine Learning: There may be opportunities to integrate machine learning techniques with the translation process to further enhance accuracy and automate the translation workflow.
Actionable Advice
Based on these insights, here are some actionable advice:
Evaluate Translation Needs: Assess your website’s target audience and determine if translation and localization would benefit your content strategy. Consider the potential impact on user experience, SEO, and market expansion.
Choose the Right Translation Approach: Compare the available translation services, including the cost and quality of their APIs, to determine whether leveraging an existing OpenAI API key or subscribing to a third-party service is more suitable for your needs and budget.
Implement Translation Tools: Install and configure the CyberSEO Pro or RSS Retriever plugins for WordPress to enable article translation and rewriting. Follow the provided instructions to ensure proper HTML markup preservation and language selection.
Monitor and Measure Performance: Regularly review key performance indicators such as website traffic, engagement metrics, and conversions to assess the impact of translated content. Adjust your strategy as needed based on the results.
Stay Updated on Developments: Keep an eye on updates from OpenAI and the plugin developers for new features, enhancements, or language expansions. Consider adopting advancements that align with your goals and can enhance your translation workflow.
Note: It is important to strike a balance between automated translation and human review/editing, especially for critical content or specialized domains. While AI-based translation can save time and resources, it may not always capture the nuances or context accurately.
Did you know that the CyberSEO Pro and RSS Retriever plugins for WordPress can translate imported articles into different languages and rewrite their content using OpenAI GPT models while preserving the original HTML markup? This includes headings, lists, tables, images and embedded media content.
CyberSEO Pro supports three third party services for automatic article translation: Google Translate, Yandex Translate and DeepL. These services can translate an imported article into almost any language while preserving its HTML structure. The catch? These services are not free and require a subscription to use the API.
However, if you already have an OpenAI API key that you use for creating and rewriting articles with CyberSEO Pro, why bother paying extra for other services? Your existing OpenAI API key is more than enough to use the power of GPT to translate your content into a variety of foreign languages.
This task will be solved by a properly composed OpenAI GPT article assignment in the AI article generation tab of your feed’s settings. All you need to preserve the HTML markup of the original article is the phrase “return the result in HTML format“, which should be added at the end of your prompt. Accordingly, your assignment to translate the imported article into German, should look like follows.
For simplified article assignment (CyberSEO Pro):
Translate the article below to German and return the result in HTML format:
%post_content%
For post template (CyberSEO Pro, RSS Retriever):
[openai_gpt prompt="Translate the article below into German and return the result in HTML format: %post_content%"]
And if you want to rewrite the article without translating it, use the following assignment.
For simplified article assignment (CyberSEO Pro):
Rewrite the article below in an informative style and return the result in HTML format:
%post_content%
For post template (CyberSEO Pro, RSS Retriever):
[openai_gpt prompt="Rewrite the article below in an informative style and return the result in HTML format: %post_content%"]
If you want to rewrite an article that was written in a language other than English, it is recommended that you write the entire assignment in the original language of the source.
For simplified article assignment (CyberSEO Pro):
Reescriba el siguiente artículo en un estilo informativo y devuelva el resultado en formato HTML:
%post_content%
For post template (CyberSEO Pro, RSS Retriever):
[openai_gpt prompt="Reescriba el siguiente artículo en un estilo informativo y devuelva el resultado en formato HTML: %post_content%"]
Keep in mind that GPT-3.5 models may not always do the job perfectly, especially when it comes to rewriting. On the other hand, the GPT-4 model excels at this task. Also be aware that OpenAI GPT will translate your entire HTML document, so the combined token count of the original text and the generated result should not exceed OpenAI’s text size limits, so set the value of the Max tokens field to half of the maximum allowed limit for your chosen GPT model.
Note that you cannot use the %post_content_notags% post template shortcode in this case. This shortcode removes all HTML tags from the original article and reduces its size in an attempt to fit within the token limit of the GPT model used. But in the case above, we want to keep the original HTML markup, so we need to use the more “weighty” %post_content% shortcode.
