Brewster's Kaleidoscope Book: A Reading Guide in Six Articles

Sir David Brewster patented the kaleidoscope in 1817 and later wrote a full technical book about it: "The Kaleidoscope: Its History, Theory, and Construction" (second edition, London, John Murray, 1858; third edition, 1870). The book covers the optics of the instrument, its construction, its variants and its use as a design tool.

Lab Notes has read the book chapter by chapter. This page lists those articles in reading order, with the chapters each one covers.

1. Mirror angles and the number of points

Chapters I, II and VII: why the angle between the reflectors has to divide the circle, how the angle sets the number of sectors and star points, and how Brewster set the angle in the workshop. Read: Kaleidoscope mirror angles.

2. The object cell

Chapter VIII, with parts of Chapters III and VII: which objects Brewster recommends and rejects, how full the cell should be, loose and fixed objects, and his rules for colour. Read: What goes in a kaleidoscope object cell.

3. The telescopic kaleidoscope

Chapter X, with Chapters IV and V: the instrument with a lens in front of the mirrors, pointed at distant objects, and how it relates to the teleidoscope. Read: The telescopic kaleidoscope.

4. Seven designs

Chapters XI to XVIII: polyangular, annular, parallel, polycentral, solid-glass, projection, polarized-light, stereoscopic and microscopic instruments. Read: Seven kaleidoscope designs from Brewster's book.

5. The kaleidoscope as a design tool

Chapters XIX to XXI: the number of possible patterns, the use of the instrument for architectural ornament, ornamental painting and carpet design, and recording patterns with a camera. Read: The kaleidoscope as a design tool.

6. Light and eye position in practice

Chapters IV and VI, applied to current instruments: where to place the eye, why the outer sectors are dimmer, and how to photograph through the eyepiece. Read: How to light, view and photograph a kaleidoscope.

Background

For the wider context, see History of the kaleidoscope, how a kaleidoscope works and the kaleidoscope glossary.

About Studio Yabaye

Studio Yabaye builds kaleidoscopes and teleidoscopes with front-surface mirror systems in a brass tube, cut, fitted and hand-finished in the studio. The studio is based in Israel and ships worldwide. The current range is at all products.