2- or 3-mirror adjustable kaleidoscope
Date: circa 1900
Inventory Number: 1996-1-0592
Classification: Kaleidoscope
Dimensions:7.5 × 30 × 6.8 cm (2 15/16 × 11 13/16 × 2 11/16 in.)
DescriptionThe central section of this instrument is triangular in cross section and can be opened using the two hinged panels. Inside are two rectangular, glass mirrors. They have rear-surface silvering, which is then covered in flat red paint. They are held in brackets on each panel. The angle between them when the door panels are closed is 60°. A spring latch secures the doors together.
There may have once been a third mirror in the central section between the door panels, but there are no brackets to hold it in place. With a removable third mirror, the instrument can be both a 2-mirror or 3-mirror kaleidoscope in which angles may be adjusted between the mirrors for different effects.
At one end of the tube is a cone-shaped eyepiece without any glass.
At the other end is a circular chamber with a round glass window that lets light into the instrument. One side of the window is ground glass. The chamber holds colored glass shards, some on printed paper backing. The rear end of the chamber is covered in glass and has a triangular aperture that matches the cross section of the tube.
Objects can be inserted into the tube in addition to those sealed in the chamber.
The chamber cannot be rotated. To get the kaleidoscopic effect, one rotates the entire instrument.