The objective of this research is to examine what is meant by visual culture in the context of provincial Ireland between 1896 and 1906 and the argue for a particular conception of its meaning, range and influence. This study defines visual culture in terms of the interaction between viewer and viewed, recognising the complex interplay between the images produced and circulated within a culture, the viewing apparatus(es) by which such images are made available and the cultural consciousness, competences and preferences which accompany and influence our viewing experiences. By surveying the reception of Magic Lantern and Cinematograph entertainments in rural Ireland between 1896 and 1906, it becomes possible to suggest a distinction between historically and culturally grounded ‘ways of seeing 5. In presenting evidence of a complex of receptive patterns, it is argued that the exhibition and reception of such media in conjunction with cultural repertoires and ideological influence forms the basis from which the era’s visual culture can be described and mapped.