The Optical Viewer
Medium
Chalk-manner etching and engraving
Dimensions
image: 54.7 × 45.1 cm · sheet: 72.4 × 54.2 cm
Classification
Department
Prints
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
2001.15
Tags
male
About this artwork
In this print, a fashionable woman and a boy look at prints through an optical viewer known as a “zograscope.” This form of entertainment, popularized during the 1700s, was equipped with a concave lens that made images appear three-dimensionally. Special prints called vues d’optiques, or “perspective views,” were designed to enhance the sense of three-dimensionality, creating an immersive experience. Most of the scenes depicted cities or memorable occurrences, allowing the spectator to witness i...