Peep show box for translucent photographs

Device patented in 1861 by the Venetian optician and photographer, Carlo Ponti. In 1862 he patented a new version, more luxurious and sophisticated, which he called a "megalethoscope". Later, in 1866, he lost the exclusive production rights to the invention and another pioneer of photography, the Italian Carlo Naya, Ponti's ex-partner, took advantage of it by creating his own model, which is what we see in the photograph. This produced an intense rivalry and a lengthy court case between the two photographers. The alethoscope is inspired by the visual effects of the Daguerre diorama and the Polyorama Panoptique, but the interior image is not an engraving, but a photograph, an albumin to be exact, which greatly increased its realism. The device had two side doors with mirrors and an upper one to direct the light on the front of the image for the daytime effect. For the night-time effect, it would suffice to close these doors and illuminate the photograph from behind. The lens is adjustable. The photographs on the albumin were glued to a wooden frame and behind it was also a piece of paper with watercolour drawings, which appeared in the night-time presentation. In the albumin and paper there were numerous small perforations made with a needle, which were illuminated in the night-time effect (stars, street lights, lamps, etc.). Finally, a linen cloth was placed on the back to protect the lower structure from any abrasion or shock.