New World Views

Before the photograph there was the vue d’optique. This print genre was popular during the second half of the eighteenth century into the early nineteenth century. Vues d’optique were specifically designed to provide the illusion of depth when viewed through a zograscope. The zograscope contained a large, double convex lens and a mirror fixed directly behind at an angle. The apparatus was attached to a stand so it was elevated on a table. Specially designed prints with one point perspective were critical for the enhanced special depth when the viewer looked through the lens.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.