The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 13, 2025

The Optical Viewer

c. 1793

Frédéric Cazenave

(French, active 1793–1843)

after Louis Léopold Boilly

(French, 1761–1845)
France, 18th century
Chalk-manner etching and engraving
Image: 54.7 x 45.1 cm (21 9/16 x 17 3/4 in.); Platemark: 67.5 x 53.3 cm (26 9/16 x 21 in.); Sheet: 72.4 x 54.2 cm (28 1/2 x 21 5/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 2001.15
Catalogue raisonné: Inventaire du Fonds Français 4.156.4; Por.& Ber. I (part I) p. 346; Bréton & Zuber 1804E II/II
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Optical devices frequently appear in Louis Léopold Boilly’s work.

Description

In this print, a fashionable woman and a boy look at prints through an optical viewer known as a “zograscope.” This form of entertainment, popularized during the 1700s, was equipped with a concave lens that made images appear three-dimensionally. Special prints called vues d’optiques, or “perspective views,” were designed to enhance the sense of three-dimensionality, creating an immersive experience. Most of the scenes depicted cities or memorable occurrences, allowing the spectator to witness important sites and events from the comfort of their own home.
  • ?–2001
    (Susan Schulman Printseller, New York, NY, sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH)
    March 5, 2001–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Wehn, James. “The 18th-Century Selfie: A new exhibition looks at the role of prints and drawings in pre- and post-revolutionary France.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 56, no. 4 (July/August 2016): 8-9. Reproduced: p.8; Mentioned: p. 9 archive.org
  • Imagination in the Age of Reason. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 28, 2024-March 2, 2025).
    Elegance and Intrigue: French Society in 18th-century Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 16-November 6, 2016).
    Inventive Impressions: 18th- and 19-Century French Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-October 28, 2001).
  • {{cite web|title=The Optical Viewer|url=false|author=Frédéric Cazenave, Louis Léopold Boilly|year=c. 1793|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2001.15