Magnifying Glasses Collection

Seeing (colour litho)
8635367 Seeing (colour litho) by Holden, Albert William (1848-1932); Private Collection; (add.info.: Seeing. Illustration from Pears Annual, 1897.); © Look and Learn

How man learns from the human eye (litho)
8676259 How man learns from the human eye (litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: How man learns from the human eye. Inventions using lenses)

The Optical Viewer, c. 1793 (etching and wash)
7296396 The Optical Viewer, c.1793 (etching and wash) by Cazenave, Frederic (active 1793-1843); 55 x 45 cm; National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

17th century English man laughing at an engraving of a monkey. 1803 (engraving)
7233052 17th century English man laughing at an engraving of a monkey. 1803 (engraving) by Deuchar, David (1743-1808); Private Collection; (add.info)

Wood engraving (engraving)
7162491 Wood engraving (engraving) by American School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Wood engraving. Illustration for The Great Industries of the United States (J B Burr & Hyde)

Text under magnifying glass (b / w photo)
7165275 Text under magnifying glass (b/w photo) by Biermann, Aenne (1898-1933); Private Collection; (add.info.: Text under magnifying glass)

"The real treasure was a mouldy bit of papyrus"(litho)
7168987 " The real treasure was a mouldy bit of papyrus" (litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Signed page from Micrographia: or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies
1208391 Signed page from Micrographia: or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies Made by Magnifying Glasses, 1665 (pen & ink and print on paper) by Hooke

Exhibition of the Photographic Society at the South Kensington Museum, 1858 (b / w photo)
STC223373 Exhibition of the Photographic Society at the South Kensington Museum, 1858 (b/w photo) by Thompson, Charles Thurston (c.1816-68); Private Collection; The Stapleton Collection; English

Boy looking at leaf through magnifying glass, Norfolk, England, November

Ant research, conceptual artwork. The stilts attached to this ants legs, and the map it is consulting, represent research that was done to determine how ants navigate

Tilt compass, 19th century
Tilt compass. This apparatus includes an azimuth circle (lower centre), a compass needle and magnifying glasses (centre), a screw to adjust the needle (centre right)

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Discover the intriguing world of magnification through the lens of history. From the first known optical viewer, The Optical Viewer, created in 1793, to the amusement of a 17th century Englishman laughing at an engraving of a monkey with a wooden magnifying glass, these tools have captivated our curiosity. The power of magnification is showcased in an 1803 engraving, where text beneath the glass reveals the true treasure to be a mouldy bit of papyrus. Fast forward to the 19th century, where Micrographia: or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies, signed by its author Robert Hooke, is displayed at the Exhibition of the Photographic Society at the South Kensington Museum. A boy in Norfolk, England, in November, intently studies a leaf through his magnifying glass, while an ant researcher examines the tiny details of their subject in a conceptual artwork. Even a tilt compass from the same century, with its magnified scale, demonstrates the importance of magnification in various fields. Join us as we delve deeper into the world and uncover the hidden wonders that lie within.