Panoptique & Dioptrique Polyrama

Large version of the Polyrama Panoptique, an optical toy which was popular from the 1820s through to the 1860s. It was invented by Pierre Seguin and is based on Daguerre's Diorama. It consists of a portable box-camera designed to take printed and painted cards. The box is attached to a concertina device which carries the viewing lens. The illustration card is inserted at the back of the box and can be illuminated through one of the doors which allow the user to control the degree and direction of light. The viewer is complete and in good original condition, the fragile paper covering and bellows are entirely intact and show only minor signs of wear. On top the original 'Polyrama Panoptique' label and the makers sticker. The Polyrama comes with 4 beautiful printed cards which are hand-coloured. The illustration cards are mounted on wooden frames 34x26cm and have printed captions on the back. The Polyrama comes with the original carrying and presentation wooden box with two extendable rails on top.