Parallels: A Comparison of the Linnebach Lantern and the CLP1

What it Was

The Linnebach Lantern is a simple, lens-less projector. It consists of a large, shallow box with a powerful light source (originally an incandescent lamp or arc light) at the back and a transparent slide or painted glass at the front. It was built to project over a wide area, often covering the entire stage backdrop, making it ideal for creating immersive atmospheres. Working at the Munich Opera in the early 1900s, Linnebach developed this device to solve the problem of creating large-scale, affordable scenic projections.

The History

It became popular in the 1920s and 1930s, bridging the gap between 19th-century magic lanterns and modern lighting/projection systems. It was still in use in some theaters well into the mid-20th century. And while the Linnebach Lantern fell out of widespread use with the advent of more advanced lighting like ellipsoidal spotlights and, eventually, digital projectors, its influence lingers in theater design—modern cyclorama lights and large-scale projections owe a debt to its simplicity and scale. 

Image Credit: Britannia Encyclopedia

The Linnebach and the CLP1: A Comparison

Both the Linnebach Lantern and the CLP1 can project images or light onto surfaces without requiring traditional optics, allowing for flexible and dynamic lighting effects. The CLP1 projects onto various surfaces, including corners, without distortion, similar to the Linnebach Lantern, which produces soft, shadow-based projections without complex lensing. Neither fixture relies on traditional lenses to focus or shape the light, instead using alternative methods to achieve their projection effects.

For more information, or to schedule a demo of the CLP1, contact our customer care team to learn more about what the CLP1 has to offer!