Megalethoscope Slide, "Panorama from the Southern Corner of the Doge's Palace"

01

Artifact Overview

Invented by Carlo Ponti in the early 1860s, a megalethoscope is a device used to view a translucent, multilayered photograph. By opening or closing various panels, a person saw the image change. When lit from behind, pinpricks and paint or colored tissue applied to the back or a secondary layer of the photograph transform the scene to reveal hidden images and create an illusion of nighttime.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Slide (Photograph)

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

32.742.113.2.11

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Wood (Plant material)
Paper (Fiber product)
Linen (Material)
Paint (Coating)

Color

Black (Color)
White (Color)

Dimensions

Height: 12.25 in
Width: 17.5 in
Length: 1.5 in

Inscriptions

on label on back: Panorama dall'Angolo meridionale Del Palazzo Ducale. Panorama from the Southern corner of the Doge's Palace / Pillars, Old Library custom house, Salisto Church, on the ground the Redeemer's church