Pair of hand painted lanternslides in a handmade wood frame. The two paintings depict a large mosquito head and mosquitoes attempting to carry away a man's bucket. The latter scene is titled "Texas ‘gallinippers'" (another name for a very large mosquito or crane fly). This slide is part of a collection made by Samuel Reader between 1866 and 1913. Reader was a Kansas farmer who was active in the early Topeka community. He built two homes, served in the Civil War, and wrote in a diary nearly every day for 64 years. During the summer months, Reader often wrote "Mosquitoes" at the end of his diary entries. Reader began painting slides in 1866 and continued throughout much of his life. He held magic lantern shows for the local community in his house and at church.
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
Samuel Reader lanternslide, Texas Gallinippers - 2