Topical
Magic lantern slides categorised within the topical genre visually reflected current events that were also part of the contemporary written and illustrated press. These kinds of slides included four groups of subjects: (1) society—including national or international politics, economy, culture, education, science and technology; (2) incidents —such as accidents, crimes or natural disasters; (3) travel —showing current images of cities, landscapes or people around the world as well as travel motivated by scientific curiosity, the commercial and tourist industry, or artistic creativity; and (4) sports —through news-related events of interest to national or international public opinion.
Magic lantern slides within the topical genre also included the dissolving view subgenre. Magic lantern slides that belong to this subgenre are diachronic, simulating the passing of time across two or more moments through a gradual visual transformation. They provided added value to the visual presentation of all kinds of events: sights while travelling, natural phenomena, events such as explosions or fires, etc. The effect was achieved by darkening the image shown, while the next one was gradually superimposed.
Religious
Magic lantern slides of a religious genre refer to the visual disclosure of the contents associated with religious teaching. These slides usually illustrate a topic related to Christian worship or to dogmas, beliefs, principles, morals, and rites of any other religion, and they were used both at the time of worship, and in the context of catechesis or religious instruction of any educational environment.
Title
Title genre magic lantern slides include visual contents such as signs, inscriptions or decorative elements that served to lead, announce transitions, or finish any of the projected stories during the magic lantern shows. Magic lantern slides within the title genre genre include the chromotoscopic subgenre. Chromotoscopic magic lantern slides are defined as having two specific properties in addition to the sign genre: a cyclical format and the creation of their images by pictorial and / or printing techniques.
Microscopic
Magic lantern slides considered within the microscopic genre disclose scientific knowledge on relevant bodies or microscopic phenomena whose size is impossible to see to the naked eye, and therefore microscopes to observe or detect them are needed. This genre includes bacteriology, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, entomology, geology, mineralogy, physics or zoology.
Microscopic
Magic lantern slides considered within the microscopic genre disclose scientific knowledge on relevant bodies or microscopic phenomena whose size is impossible to see to the naked eye, and therefore microscopes to observe or detect them are needed. This genre includes bacteriology, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, entomology, geology, mineralogy, physics or zoology.
Microscopic
Magic lantern slides considered within the microscopic genre disclose scientific knowledge on relevant bodies or microscopic phenomena whose size is impossible to see to the naked eye, and therefore microscopes to observe or detect them are needed. This genre includes bacteriology, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, entomology, geology, mineralogy, physics or zoology.
Microscopic
Magic lantern slides considered within the microscopic genre disclose scientific knowledge on relevant bodies or microscopic phenomena whose size is impossible to see to the naked eye, and therefore microscopes to observe or detect them are needed. This genre includes bacteriology, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, entomology, geology, mineralogy, physics or zoology.
Microscopic
Magic lantern slides considered within the microscopic genre disclose scientific knowledge on relevant bodies or microscopic phenomena whose size is impossible to see to the naked eye, and therefore microscopes to observe or detect them are needed. This genre includes bacteriology, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, entomology, geology, mineralogy, physics or zoology.