Antique Optical Devices

It’s truly amazing when we look around us, on a daily, even hourly, basis, how many things we have that include optical devices. From our cell phones to cameras everywhere, to glasses, as well as CD players, cars, grocery stores, basically EVERYWHERE, there are lenses surrounding us. Has it always been like this? Probably since the 1600s, the answer is yes. The following is a collection of optical devices, some new, some you’ve never seen before, and some just plain cool!

( Editors’ note- I have been informed by my millennial children that “nobody uses CDs anymore”, and the term cool is passé and should be replaced with the term ‘sick’.)

One of the oldest forms of projected entertainment were Magic Lanterns. These were simple optical devices that used a light source, such as an oil lamp, (or a light bulb after the invention of electricity) and a painted glass slide. Most of the Magic Lanterns at The Eyeseum are dated between 1880 and 1900.

Example of some slides used for a magic lantern.
One of the earliest forms of moving pictures was this Praxinoscope, made in France, c. 1889. It used a series of mirrors and still pictures that when spun around, would create the illusion of movement. The “shade” on this is not the original, but a replacement from around 1940-1950
French mother of pearl and brass 7-draw pocket telescope. Each section is called a draw. Used during the 1700s.
French heliograph. Basically, a mirror and magnifying lens combination, used to send signals over long distances during the French revolution, 1789-1799.
Trapper’s magnifier, used to start fires, late 1700’s to early 1800s (we can tell by the buttons, or rivets used to hold the leather tightly around the lens. Possibly Canadian.
Parlor stereoscope (lifting type), circa 1910, Germany. The original virtual reality device! This 3-D viewer allowed users to look at stereoscopic glass slides in a tray of various scenes via a complex mechanism of gears and springs.
Another tabletop stereoscope made from walnut, this one dated 1866, England.
Coin operated stereoscopic “Vistascope”, an early form of 3-D movies. This consisted of about 50 stereoscope cards that flipped as you turned the knob, each with a different scene from the movie. This one is showing a Tom Mix movie- “The Great K & A Train Robbery”, and Charlie Chaplin “The Gold Rush”, c. 1925.
Unusual hand-held mahogany stereoscopic viewer, England, c. 1860s
Brass and copper microscope, c.1881. This required an outside light souce shone through a lens onto a mirror, which reflects the light up through the slide.
This is a bullseye condenser, designed to take light from an outside light source and concentrate it so one can see the microscope slide better.
Antique Jewish magnifying glass with bone handle, and brass plaque, dated 1872.
The Patheorama was a “filmstrip” like viewer made in France in the late 1800s. The box of film consists of photographic tours of Paris, the Louvre and other tourist attractions.

A later, similar device made in the USA, called the Tru-Vue, made of bakelite, c. 1930. Packaged in a beautiful wooden marquetry case.
John Browning spectrometer, c. 1862. Mr. Browning excelled at manufacturing precision optical devices and is most well known for installing the first electric light in London in 1873. He also was the founding member of the British Optical Association, and many people consider him to be the first professional optometrist.
English Leather and brass 4 draw telescope with homemade case, dated 1882
C.B. Bush kaleidoscope, dated 1873. Mr. Bush manufactured some 5000 of these throughout his lifetime. They were known as parlor kaleidoscopes, so many people could enjoy them. They consisted of fancy blown glass objects and fluid filled ampules.
This is a 19th century micrograph. It was used to look at micro photographs just a few millimeters wide. This one came with pictures of the US presidents, up until Martin Van Buren. That dates it to around 1850.
Leather and brass celestial telescope, c. 1888
Antique sextant, dated 1917. Sextants were used to determine a ship’s position using the sun or stars at night.
Viewmaster Model A, the very first model manufactured in 1942. This brought stereoscopes into the mainstream, so every family could enjoy them.
Antique theodolite , an instrument used for surveying, circa 1900.
Miniature spyglass made from tortoiseshell and mother of pearl with gold embellishments. Circa 1890
Tortoiseshell and horn combination variable magnification and colored filter handheld device, c. late 1800s
Spinthariscope, invented in 1903. This is the world’s first device to measure radioactivity. Invented by Sir William Crookes, a source of radiation was placed on the metal arm placed above a disc of zinc sulfide and looked at through the lens and the number of green ”scintillations” were counted.
Combination stereoscope/graphoscope designed to magnify post cards, or look at stereo cards.
c. 1900
Ebony graphoscope only. Used to look at pictures and postcards. c. 1880-1890
Pair of US Navy binoculars, dated 1899. Great patina!
Civil war binoculars, Made in France. Both the North and South were fond of the French binoculars because of the quality and the optics.
”Stereoscope Lestrade”, the French version of the Viewmaster, c. 1950
Viewmaster projector, bakelite, c.1950
8mm movie projector, dated 1927, one of the first ones made by Bell & Howell
Optical pyrometer. A device used to measure temperature by color analysis. It is used as a non contact device, to measure temperatures of kilns and ovens from 700°-4000° C. This first one was invented in 1752. This one is from around 1930.
Carl Zeiss saccharimeter, c. 1920. A saccharimeter is a device used in the food and brewing industries to measure the percentage of sugar in a solution.
Magnifying glass w/ leather case, 18th century
Sight Meter, 1930, used to determine adequate light levels for visual tasks.
1920s Instoscope light meter. This light meter used no current, but just had different letters that would become visible with increasing light.
Tin lithograph advertising kaleidoscope, 1874, from Seabury and Johnson, who later founded Johnson & Johnson.
WWII era Soviet military periscope, with case
View of dosimeter reading
Cold War era (1950-60) dosimeter, an optical device used to measure radiation in Roentgens.

Magnifying glass made out of horn and hand riveted. c1840
35 mm slide projector, c. 1940
Paktung (german silver) and Jade with polished turquoise stones magnifying glass.

Reproduction polemoscope. A polemoscope is a device similar to a periscope, but hand held. Designed to be used at opera houses to spy on people without directly looking at them.
Limoges, France, circa early 1900s