Perspective views or Vue d'optique, extravagance at the end of 18th century!

Perspective views, or vue d’optiques, are a special type of popular print published in Europe during the eighteenth century.

These prints were a form of entertainment meant to be seen through devices called “optical machines,” “optiques,” "zograscopes" or “peepshows.” With their precisely-ground lens, well-crafted fittings, and internationally-themed prints, these opitical machines embodied the Georgian quest for knowledge and refinement.

Probably invented around 1750, it was known in England as an “optical diagonal machine” and in France as an “optique.” With few variations, a zograscope consists of a mirror zograscope consists of a mirror hinged with an optical lens, suspended in a frame that stands approximately eighteen inches high.

Perspective views have several commun point: generarally these were etched copper engravings, classified as "half-fine", the midde between fine engravings and naive popular prints. All the subject were horizontal, very hand coloured with some deep green, carmine and yellow: the sky was most of the time a blue horizontal band at the top of the print.

Perspective view, copper-plate engraved print, hand-coloured, c1790. Tuileries Palace in Paris (doesn't exist anymore)
In this print, we can see the life along the Seine River in Paris, the costums of parisians, and in particulary, the Tuileries Palace (Château des Tuileries).

The Tuileries Palace was a palace in Paris, whose construction began in 1564 under the leadership of Catherine de Medici to the site previously occupied by tile factories. Expanded under the successive reigns, he had a huge front (266 m long) and became a royal residence of many kings, Henri IV, Louis XIV, Louis XVI or Louis XVIII, then Imperial (Napoleon I and Napoleon III) until 'to its destruction by fire in May 1871. Its ruins were demolished in 1882.

You can come to visit my e-store where I sell some original antique maps and prints: http://stores.ebay.com.au/moncabinetdestampes