| The kaleidoscope was invented by Sir David Brewster of Scotland in 1816
while conducting experiments on light polarization. Kaleidoscopes are tubes of mirrors containing loose colored beads or pebbles, or other small colored objects. The viewer looks in one end and light enters the other end, reflecting off the mirrors. Modern kaleidoscopes are made of brass tubes, stained glass, wood, steel, gourds and most any other material an artist can sculpt or manipulate. The part of the kaleidoscope which holds objects to be viewed is called an object chamber or cell.
Object cells may contain almost any material. Sometimes the object cell is filled with oil so the items float and move through the object cell with slight movement from the person viewing. Cozy Baker ‘The First Lady of Kaleidoscopes’ collected these beautiful objects of art, and wrote books about the artists who were making them in the 1970s through 2000. Cozy is credited with energizing a
renaissance in kaleidoscope making in America. Our Kaleidoscope Collection consists of a variety of scopes that have all been handmade from various wood types and a combination of other materials such as brass and leather. The shapes, sizes and styles vary depending on the artist. |
