Zograscope On Four Legs

A wooden box, open at the bottom and supported on four legs, holding a plane mirror and a 3 1/4 inch diameter convex lens; unsigned and undated. The Zograscope, or "optical diagonal machine", was made for viewing prints of landscapes, thereby endeavouring to create an illusion of seeing the landscape directly. The origins of this device are obscure, but it is thought to have first appeared in Paris early in the 18th century. To counter the reversal of the image brought about by the mirror, the prints had to be made reversed.