A D V E N T U R E S in C Y B E R S O U N D'Vue d' Optique'
View (View) n. [OF. veue, F. vue, fr. OF. veoir to see, p. p. veu, F. voir, p. p. vu, fr. L. videre to see.
4. That which is seen or beheld; sight presented to the natural or intellectual eye; scene; prospect; [Prospect View] as, the view from a window.Websters Dictionary, 1913 http://www.bibliomania.com
"Vue d'Optique" - An 18th Century Travelogue
by Charles Hewitt Prospects, Views, Perspectives, Vue d'Optique, Mondo Nuovo; all are names which were used to describe [a] form of specifically composed print to be viewed [with] a special arrangement of mirrors and lenses to create an enhanced perspective. [The most common device used was the tabletop mounted Zograscope - see later]. These [prints] were the forerunners of the stereoscop[ic] and 3-D images [developed in] the 19th Century [...]. Vue d'Optique Perspective views have a number of common features: they were generally etched in copper and classified as "demi-fine" a limbo between fine engravings and naive popular prints. The subjects depicted were all horizontal in format, strongly coloured with deep greens, carmine and yellow: the sky was generally tendered by a horizontal band of deep blue at the top of the image. The scenes depicted were most often capital cities in Europe, as well as the Holy Land: famous streets, rivers and ports; gardens both public and private; and the constant handling their use entailed has meant only a tiny percentage of the prints produced are still in existence today.
 Vue de La Place Louis XV, c.1800
French Colored Engraved Etching. Vue d'Optique. 13 1/4" x 19" Image Source: An auction on eBay
This fascinating off-shoot of the print world arose and fell in popularity in a period of little more than one hundred years. In its heyday, it was used by the well to-do as a drawing room entertainment, and those unable to afford it could "travel the world" and view the pictures at the travelling fairs for a few pence. In the first quarter of the 19th Century technology overtook its naive appeal, and replaced it with superior methods of illusory images. First called Prospects in 1717 the term Prospective Views and the necessary purpose-built viewing machines seem to appear around 1740. As early as 1677, a form of "camera obscura" was described, but this would not be applicable to works of this nature. London, arguably the centre of print publishing in Europe at the time, is generally accepted as the place where this form of topographical print originated in the first quarter of the 18th Century. Publishers in Paris were quick to follow London with similar perspective prints, but it was Augsburg engraves has catalogued more than 10,000 individual "views" published in grasp the importance and impact of these pictures. They served a number of purposes, depending on the country and the specific audience.
 Vue du Place des Victoires a Paris c.1795
French Colored Engraved Etching. Vue d'Optique. 11" x 16" Image Source: An auction on eBay
This was the period of the "Grand Tour" and these prints acted as a romanticised version of such a journey even though the accurate rendition of a city or building was secondary to the visual effect. The artists and engravers who created these prints rarely had first hand knowledge of the scenes depicted and relied on impressions and their imagination. As well, the increasingly affluent merchant class in England and Europe sought diversions for their after dinner soirees and this novelty served such a purpose. Publishers kept up a steady stream of new images and these were eagerly purchased. Lastly, travelling fairs offered all forms of entertainment for the rural population, few of whom ever saw a large city, much less a foreign location in another part of Europe or the Exotic East. Travelling showmen provided these folk with an imaginary voyage via the Vue d'Optique pictures, or the more contrived "peepshow" (Mondo Nuovo) which was a main feature at the Italian country fairs. These peepshow prints, which had been stiffened with card, covering the openings with suitably coloured, oiled papers, standing them vertically in a viewing box back-lit with candles, so the viewer would look through a lens at the illuminated view. These peepshows were also popular in the fashionable salons of Romke; both Longhi and Tiepolo have painted interiors which include the aristocracy enjoying this novelty. The Vue d'Optique and its "optical relatives" were practically speaking, the first medium to bring the visible appearance of the wider world to a large European public. Their naivety and decorative content make them a fascinating addition to the repertoire of the printed picture medium. Source: Charles Hewitt, 30 Queen Street, Woollahra, 2025, Australia
Description from a 1998 auction catalogue describing a typical 'Vue d'Optique' Anon. (View of Covent Garden Market). Vue Perspective du Marché aux Fleurs a Londres. Paris, Daumont c.1790. Copper engraving, in original frame and glass. Original hand-colouring. 260x405mm. £400 A fine, very rare, mirror image, Vue d'Optique view of the Piazza, Covent Garden. This view shows Inigo Jones' St. Paul's Church on the right, looking across the fruit and flower market stalls towards St. James's Street, Archer House and King Street on the north side, taken from Southampton Street and Henrietta Street on the south. The seller then added...
"The market came into existence towards the middle of the seventeenth century, and in 1670 the 5th Earl of Bedford and his heirs were granted the right to hold a market for 'flowers, fruits, roots and herbs' and to collect tolls from the dealers. The market expanded during the mid eighteenth century, and due to the proximity to Covent Garden and Drury Lane Theatres the area became popular with artists, actors and writers.Source: http://www3.mistral.co.uk/the.print.room/stock.html
Zograscope - late 18th c. - early 19th c. Viewer for Vues d'Optique - The Zograscope was usually a table-top device consisting of a wooden stand supporting a hinged mirror and lens. Some floor standing models were known.
 Zograscope Source: http://info.ex.ac.uk/fac/arts/bill.douglas/zogscope.html
Source: http://info.ex.ac.uk/fac/arts/bill.douglas/zogscope.html
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