Zograscope

Optical device used in the family setting to observe optical views, which expanded and increased the feeling of depth of the image, creating an unprecedented realistic experience of the scenes depicted. It consists of a turned wooden foot, which supports a framed biconvex lens. An adjustable tilt mirror is fitted above the frame. Through the lens and the mirror, placed at about 45 degrees, one can see the optical view, placed below and behind the device. Zograscopes were popular during the second half of the eighteenth century as a parlour entertainment. Most of the existing devices of that time are items of high-quality furniture, with turned supports, mouldings, brass accessories and quality finishes. In 1730, the first zograscopes, then called “optics”, were developed in Paris. In 1745, the first English versions of these devices began to appear.