Zograscope - Antique and Vintage Cameras

Zograscope

Image of Zograscope

Pedestal viewer with pivoted mirror, convex viewing lens, telescopic column fixed by wooden screw, turned wood decoration and inlay, lead-weighted base. 23" high, 4 ¼" diameter lens, 7 ¾" x 5 ¾" mirror.

This type of optical viewer, known as a zograscope or Diagonal Mirror, was popular from the mid 18th century through to the mid 19th century. The large viewing lens allowed both eyes to be used when viewing the print, this helped give an illusion of depth to the print. The angled mirror allows the print, known as a perspective view or vue d'optique, to be laid on a table behind the viewer. Prints intended for the zograscope generally show architectural subjects with strong perspective, lettering on the print is mostly laterally reversed. The example shown is typical of this type of viewer.

Camera Obscura

Camera Lucida

Claude Glass

Artist's Filters

Silhouette

Zograscope

Illusion

Multiple Images

Flip Books

Metamorphic

Transformation

Panorama

Shadow Puppets

Japanese Mirror

Lithophane

Polyscope

Kaleidoscope

Peep Egg

Zoetrope

Praxinoscope

Miscellaneous