Editing Kaleidoscope

{{Short description|Optical instrument to view patterns due to repeated reflection}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
[[File:Kaleidoscope tube 1.jpg|thumb|A toy kaleidoscope]]
A '''kaleidoscope''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|l|aɪ|d|ə|s|k|oʊ|p}}) is an [[optical instrument]] with two or more reflecting surfaces (or [[mirrors]]) tilted to each other at an [[angle]], so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of these mirrors are shown as a [[symmetrical]] pattern when viewed from the other end, due to repeated [[Reflection (physics)|reflection]]. These reflectors are usually enclosed in a [[cylinder|tube]], often containing on one end a cell with loose, colored pieces of glass or other transparent (and/or [[Opacity (optics)|opaque]]) materials to be reflected into the viewed pattern. Rotation of the cell causes motion of the materials, resulting in an ever-changing view being presented.
[[File:kaleidoscope_construction.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|Internal structure of a typical kaleidoscope]]

==Etymology==
The term "kaleidoscope" was coined by its Scottish inventor [[David Brewster]].<ref name="brewster1858">{{cite book |last=Brewster |first=David |title=The Kaleidoscope: Its History, Theory, and Construction with its Application to the Fine and Useful Arts |url=https://archive.org/details/kaleidoscopeits00unkngoog |edition=2 |year=1858 |publisher=J. Murray}}</ref> It is derived from the [[Ancient Greek]] word {{lang|grc|[[wikt:καλός|καλός]]}} ({{Transliteration|grc|kalos}}), "beautiful, beauty",<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dkalo%2Fs2 καλός] ({{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317234315/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dkalo%2Fs2 |date=17 March 2014 }}), [[Henry George Liddell]], [[Robert Scott (philologist)|Robert Scott]], ''[[A Greek-English Lexicon]]'', on [[Perseus Digital Library|Perseus]].</ref> {{lang|grc|[[wikt:εἶδος|εἶδος]]}} ({{Transliteration|grc|eidos}}), "that which is seen: form, shape"<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dei%29%3Ddos εἶδος] ({{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525052229/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=ei)=dos |date=25 May 2013 }}),Liddell and Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus.</ref> and {{lang|grc|[[wikt:-scope|σκοπέω]]}} ({{Transliteration|grc|skopeō}}), "to look to, to examine",<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dskope%2Fw σκοπέω] ({{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314203524/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dskope%2Fw |date=14 March 2012 }}), Liddell and Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus.</ref> hence "observation of beautiful forms".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=kaleidoscope&searchmode=none |title=Online Etymology Dictionary |publisher=Etymonline.com |access-date=2010-05-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626025607/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=kaleidoscope&searchmode=none |archive-date=2010-06-26 }}</ref> It was first published in the patent that was granted on July 10, 1817.<ref name=brewsterpatent />

==History==
[[File:1819 brewster - treatise on the kaleidoscope fig 39-40 (kircher - bradley comparison).jpg|thumb|A comparison of the mirror constructions of [[Athanasius Kircher|Kircher]] (left) and [[Richard Bradley (botanist)|Bradley]] (right)]]
[[File:Kaleidoscopes.jpg|thumb|upright|Patterns when seen through a kaleidoscope tube]]

Multiple reflection by two or more reflecting surfaces has been known since antiquity and was described as such by [[Giambattista della Porta]] in his ''[[Magia Naturalis]]'' (1558–1589). In 1646, [[Athanasius Kircher]] described an experiment with a construction of two mirrors, which could be opened and closed like a book and positioned in various angles, showing regular polygon figures consisting of reflected aliquot sectors of 360°. [[Richard Bradley (botanist)|Richard Bradley]]'s ''New Improvements in Planting and Gardening'' (1717) described a similar construction to be placed on geometrical drawings to show an image with multiplied reflection. However, an optimal configuration that produces the full effects of the kaleidoscope was not recorded before 1815.<ref name="brewster1819"/>

[[File:Kaleidoscope.webm|thumb|Video of a rotating kaleidoscope view]]
In 1814, [[David Brewster|Sir David Brewster]] conducted experiments on [[light polarization]] by successive reflections between plates of glass and first noted "the circular arrangement of the images of a candle round a center, and the multiplication of the sectors formed by the extremities of the plates of glass". He forgot about it, but noticed a more impressive version of the effect during further experiments in February 1815. A while later, he was impressed by the multiplied reflection of a bit of cement that was pressed through at the end of a triangular glass trough, which appeared more regular and almost perfectly symmetrical in comparison to the reflected objects that had been situated further away from the reflecting plates in earlier experiments. This triggered more experiments to find the conditions for the most beautiful and symmetrically perfect conditions. An early version had pieces of colored glass and other irregular objects fixed permanently and was admired by some Members of the [[Royal Society of Edinburgh]], including [[Sir George Mackenzie, 7th Baronet|Sir George Mackenzie]] who predicted its popularity. A version followed in which some of the objects and pieces of glass could move when the tube was rotated. The last step, regarded as most important by Brewster, was to place the reflecting panes in a draw tube with a concave lens to distinctly introduce surrounding objects into the reflected pattern.<ref name="brewster1819">{{cite book |first=David |last=Brewster |author-link=David Brewster |title=A Treatise on the Kaleidoscope |title-link=iarchive:b29295440 |year=1819 |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Archibald Constable & Co.}}</ref>

Brewster thought his instrument to be of great value in "all the ornamental arts" as a device that creates an "infinity of patterns". Artists could accurately delineate the produced figures of the kaleidoscope by means of the solar microscope (a type of [[camera obscura]] device), [[magic lantern]] or [[camera lucida]]. Brewster believed it would at the same time become a popular instrument "for the purposes of rational amusement". He decided to apply for a [[patent]].<ref name="brewster1819"/> British patent no.&nbsp;4136 "for a new Optical Instrument called "The Kaleidoscope" for exhibiting and creating beautiful Forms and Patterns of great use in all the ornamental Arts" was granted in July 1817.<ref name=brewsterpatent>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pgc1AAAAMAAJ&q=brewster+kaleidoscope+patent&pg=PA321 |title=The Repertory of Patent Inventions |year=1817 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127144111/https://books.google.com/books?id=pgc1AAAAMAAJ&lpg=PA321&dq=brewster%20kaleidoscope%20patent&pg=PA321#v=onepage&q=brewster%20kaleidoscope%20patent&f=false |archive-date=2017-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thekaleidoscopebook.com/thescopebook/scope-resources/kaleidoscope-patents |title=Kaleidoscope patents |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161216125423/http://www.thekaleidoscopebook.com/thescopebook/scope-resources/kaleidoscope-patents |archive-date=2016-12-16}}</ref> Unfortunately, the manufacturer originally engaged to produce the product had shown one of the patent instruments to some of the London opticians to see if he could get orders from them. Soon the instrument was copied and marketed before the manufacturer had prepared any number of kaleidoscopes for sale. An estimated two hundred thousand kaleidoscopes sold in [[London]] and [[Paris]] in just three months. Brewster figured at most a thousand of these were authorized copies that were constructed correctly, while the majority of the others did not give a correct impression of his invention. Because so relatively few people had experienced a proper kaleidoscope or knew how to apply it to ornamental arts, he decided to publicize a treatise on the principles and the correct construction of the kaleidoscope.<ref name="brewster1819"/>

It was thought that the patent was reduced in a Court of Law since its principles were supposedly already known. Brewster stated that the kaleidoscope was different because the particular positions of the object and of the eye, played a very important role in producing the beautiful symmetrical forms. Brewster's opinion was shared by several scientists, including [[James Watt]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_nhcAAAAAMAAJ |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_nhcAAAAAMAAJ/page/n476 451] |quote=brewster kaleidoscope patent. |title=Annals of Philosophy, Or, Magazine of Chemistry, Mineralogy, Mechanics, Natural History, Agriculture, and the Arts |date=August 31, 1818 |publisher=Robert Baldwin |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

[[Carpenter and Westley|Philip Carpenter]] originally tried to produce his own imitation of the kaleidoscope, but was not satisfied with the results. He decided to offer his services to Brewster as manufacturer.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UdxgAAAAcAAJ&q=brewster%20kaleidoscope%20patent&pg=PA152 |title=The Repertory Of Arts And Manufactures |series=Second series |volume=33 |year=1818 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220141800/https://books.google.nl/books?id=UdxgAAAAcAAJ&lpg=PA152&dq=brewster%20kaleidoscope%20patent&pg=PA152 |archive-date=2016-12-20}}</ref> Brewster agreed and Carpenter's models were stamped "sole maker". Realizing that the company could not meet the level of demand, Brewster gained permission from Carpenter in 1818 for the device to be made by other manufacturers. In his 1819 ''Treatise on the Kaleidoscope'' Brewster listed more than a dozen manufacturers/sellers of patent kaleidoscopes.<ref name="brewster1819"/> Carpenter's company would keep on selling kaleidoscopes for 60 years.<ref name="vms">[http://www.victorianmicroscopeslides.com/pdf/pcarpenter.pdf The Perfectionist Projectionist] ({{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007153815/http://www.victorianmicroscopeslides.com/pdf/pcarpenter.pdf |date=7 October 2011 }}), Victorian Microscope Slides. Accessed 1 August 2011.</ref>

In 1987, kaleidoscope artist Thea Marshall, working with the [[Willamette Science and Technology Center]], a science museum located in [[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene]], [[Oregon]], designed and constructed a 1,000-square-foot (93&nbsp;m<sup>2</sup>) traveling mathematics and science exhibition titled ''Kaleidoscopes: Reflections of Science and Art''. With funding from the [[National Science Foundation]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8652299&HistoricalAwards=false |title=Award Abstract # 8652299. Kaleidoscopes: Reflections of Science and Art |website=U.S. National Science Foundation}}</ref> and circulated under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sites.si.edu/s/ |title=SITES / Smithsonian Affiliations |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>), the exhibition appeared in 15 science museums over a three-year period, reaching more than one million visitors in the United States and Canada. Interactive exhibit modules enabled visitors to better understand and appreciate how kaleidoscopes function.

==Variations==
[[File:1819 brewster - treatise on the kaleidoscope fig 18-20.jpg|thumb|Polyangular Kaleidoscope of R.&nbsp;B.&nbsp;Bate (with adjustable reflector angles), as illustrated in ''Treatise on the Kaleidoscope'' (1819)]]

===General variations===
David Brewster defined several variables in his patent and publications:
*variations in size (Brewster deemed a length of five to ten inches convenient, for one to four inches he suggested the use of a lens with a focus length equal to the length of the reflectors)<ref name=brewsterpatent/> 
*variations in the angle of inclination of the reflecting surfaces. In his patent Brewster deemed 18°, 20° or 22 1/2° most pleasing.<ref name=brewsterpatent/> In the treatise 45°, 36° and 30° are the primary examples.<ref name=brewster1819/>
*variations in material of the reflecting surfaces (plates of plain glass, quicksilvered glass (mirror) or metal, or the reflecting inner surfaces of a solid prism of glass or rock crystal)<ref name=brewsterpatent/> The choice of material can have some influence of the tint and the quality of the image.
*a wide variety of objects, small figures, fragments, liquids and materials of different colors and shapes can be used in object cells (apart from the more usual transparent fragments, for instance twisted pieces of iron or brass wire, or some lace, can produce very fine effects)<ref name=brewster1819/>

===Different versions suggested by Brewster===
In his patent, Brewster perceived two forms for the kaleidoscope:
*"most common form": two reflectors, small objects should be placed close to the aperture to be viewed at the other end<ref name=brewsterpatent/> 
* "The compound, or [[telescope|telescopic]] Kaleidoscope": a tube with two reflectors, sliding inside another tube with one to three convex lenses, to be applied to any object at any distance<ref name=brewsterpatent/>  (this was later re-introduced as the [[teleidoscope]])
In his ''Treatise on the Kaleidoscope'' (1819) he described the basic form with an object cell:
*"simple form": a tube with two reflectors and objects such as pieces of colored glass either fixed or placed loosely in cell on the end of the instrument<ref name=brewster1819/>
[[File:1819 brewster - treatise on the kaleidoscope fig 33-36.jpg|thumb|Diagrams of the patterns of polycentral kaleidoscoped in ''Treatise on the Kaleidoscope'' (1819)]]
Brewster also developed several variations:
*"Polycentral Kaleidoscope" with three reflectors at angles of 60°: the infinite pattern of equilateral triangles was deemed "uncommonly splendid" by Brewster<ref name=brewster1819/>
*"Polycentral Kaleidoscope" with three reflectors at angles of 90°, 45° and 45°: the pattern is not symmetrically arranged around the centre, but nonetheless deemed "very pleasing" by Brewster<ref name=brewster1819/>
*"Polycentral Kaleidoscope" with three reflectors at angles of 90°, 60° and 30°: the pattern with 31 reflected images of the aperture, not symmetrically arranged around the centre. Brewster deemed the effect "very beautiful, particularly when the reflectors are metallic".<ref name=brewster1819/>
*"Polycentral Kaleidoscopes" with four reflectors: square or rectangular kaleidoscope with an infinite pattern of squares or rectangles<ref name=brewster1819/>
*projection kaleidoscopes by means of the solar microscope or the magic lantern, allowing more people to see the pattern<ref name=brewsterpatent/> 
*"Microscopic Kaleidoscope": minute kaleidoscopes (as small as one inch in length) for viewing microscopic objects, have also been worn by women as jewelry<ref name=brewster1819/>
*placement of "regularly crystallised bodies or pieces of glass that have received the polarising structure" in front of the aperture, to introduce "the complementary colors of polarised light"<ref name=brewsterpatent/> 
*rectangular object plates moving through a groove cut in a cell attached to the ends of the reflector, allow for a greater variety in the motion of loose fragments. With fixed fragments a more calculated sequence of tints and shapes can be composed.<ref name=brewster1819/>
*"a vibrating object plate": a smaller object plate containing loose objects can be made to vibrate on its lower edge by a gentle motion of the tube if the kaleidoscope is held horizontally<ref name=brewster1819/>
*a colorless object plate, with either colorless pieces of glass or an irregular surface of transparent varnish, can be placed in front of a colorful object plate. The tints and outlines of the colorful pieces are softened by the refraction of the colorless pieces. The colorless objects supply outlines to the pattern. The colorless object plate can also produce fine colorless patterns when used alone.<ref name=brewster1819/>
*instead of in an object cell, transparent fragments can be placed on a mirror and be combined with opaque fragments (for instance pieces of brass wire, coloured foils and grains of [[spelter]]) for the best effects<ref name=brewsterpatent/>
*an object plate with fixed elements can be placed in cell, if the cell is rotated in front of the aperture the same patterns recur<ref name=brewster1819/>
[[File:1817 brewster - kaleidoscope patent fig 4-5.jpg|thumb|Alternative positions of the reflectors in the kaleidoscope, as illustrated in the 1817 patent.]]
*if the reflectors are kept separate (see Fig. 4 of patent illustration), annular patterns are shown<ref name=brewsterpatent/> 
*if the reflectors are placed parallel to each other (see Fig. 5 of patent illustration), rectilinear patterns are shown<ref name=brewsterpatent/>
Brewster also imagined another application for the kaleidoscope:
*a type of [[color organ]]: for a harmonic visual composition, with effects similar to musical composition, a very simple piece of machinery could be developed "for introducing objects of different forms and colours for varying the direction of the motion across the angular aperture and for accommodating the velocity of their motion to the effect which it is intended to produce.".<ref name=brewster1819/>

===Later variations===
Manufacturers and artists have created kaleidoscopes with a wide variety of materials and in many shapes. A few of these added elements that were not previously described by inventor David Brewster: 
*object cells have been filled with a [[viscosity|viscous liquid]] so the items float and move gracefully through the object cell in response to slight movements from the viewer
*wand kaleidoscopes, with a moveable transparent sealed tube containing liquid showing sinking and/or floating objects (usually including glitter) past the end of the reflectors, were introduced in 1990 WildeWood Creative Products in collaboration with Cozy Baker<ref name=brewstersoctypes/>
*object wheels or carousels rotating on an axis attached to the center of kaleidoscope can introduce shapes and colors into the kaleidoscope image<ref name=brewstersoctypes/>
*exteriors of kaleidoscopes have been crafted into [[sculpture|sculptural]] artworks<ref name=brewstersoctypes/>
*large kaleidoscopes have been integrated in the architecture of some buildings<ref name=brewstersoctypes>{{cite web|url=https://brewstersociety.com/kaleidoscope-university/types-of-scopes/|title=Brewster Society – Kaleidoscope U – Kaleidoscopes Periods & Styles|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601101345/https://brewstersociety.com/kaleidoscope-university/types-of-scopes/|archive-date=2016-06-01}}</ref>

==Publications==
Cozy Baker (d. October 19, 2010)—founder of the Brewster Kaleidoscope Society—collected kaleidoscopes and wrote books about many of the artists making them in the 1970s through 2001. Her book ''Kaleidoscope Artistry''<ref name="Kaleidoscope Artistry">{{cite book|last=Cozy|first=Baker|title=Kaleidoscope Artistry|year=2001|publisher=C&T Publishing, Inc.|location=USA|isbn=1-57120-135-1|pages=144}}</ref>  is a limited compendium of kaleidoscope makers, containing pictures of the interior and exterior views of contemporary artworks. Baker is credited with energizing a renaissance in kaleidoscope-making in the US; she spent her life putting kaleidoscope artists and galleries together so they would know each other and encourage each other.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bindrim|first1=Kira|title=Long before iPhones, this 19th-century gadget made everyone a mobile addict|url=https://qz.com/1007704/long-before-iphones-this-19th-century-gadget-made-everyone-a-mobile-addict/|access-date=19 June 2017|work=[[Quartz (publication)|Quartz]]|date=19 June 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619163241/https://qz.com/1007704/long-before-iphones-this-19th-century-gadget-made-everyone-a-mobile-addict/|archive-date=19 June 2017}}</ref>

In 1999, a short-lived magazine dedicated to kaleidoscopes—''Kaleidoscope Review''—was published, covering artists, collectors, dealers, events, and including how-to articles. This magazine was created and edited by Brett Bensley, at that time a well-known kaleidoscope artist and resource on kaleidoscope information. Changed name to ''The New Kaleidoscope Review'', and then switched to a video presentation on YouTube, "The Kaleidoscope Maker".

==Cultural Impact==
In her album [[The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess]], [[Chappell Roan]] released the song Kaleidoscope, which compares love to the unpredictable nature of the kaleidoscope.  <ref>https://betches.com/who-is-chappell-roans-kaleidoscope-about-theories-explained/</ref>

==See also==
{{div col}}
* {{annotated link|Form constant}}
* {{annotated link|Fractal}}
* {{annotated link|Infinity mirror}}
* {{annotated link|Kaleidocycle}}
* {{annotated link|La Maison de la Magie Robert-Houdin}}
* {{annotated link|Phenakistiscope}}
* {{annotated link|Reflection group}}
* {{annotated link|Teleidoscope}}
* {{annotated link|Uniform tilings in hyperbolic plane}}
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Kaleidoscopes}}
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Wikiquote}}
*[http://www.brewstersociety.com Brewster Kaleidoscope Society] – organization for kaleidoscope enthusiasts
*[https://www.shadertoy.com/view/sdKyWG Demonstration of kaleidoscope variants] in [[Shadertoy]]
*[http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/kaleidoscopes2.htm Kaleidoscope Mirror Designs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420025131/http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/kaleidoscopes2.htm |date=20 April 2010 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075137/http://ux1.eiu.edu/~bdbensley/kr.html Kaleidoscope Resource (non-profit)]
*[https://archive.today/20110629074122/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kbkb/ Kaleidoscope Builders' Knowledge Base]
*[http://inoyan.narod.ru/kaleidoskop.swf Shockwave Flash Kaleidoscope (move mouse around it)]
*[http://vi.scribd.com/doc/208879261/Kaleidoscope-Review-V2N1 Kaleidoscope Review V2N1] - an issue of ''The New Kaleidoscope Review''
*[http://helpsoft.ru/artscope/en/ ArtScope - program emitting a visual effect of a kaleidoscope with the number of mirrors from 4 to 98]

{{Fractals}}
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[[Category:1817 introductions]]
[[Category:19th-century inventions]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Optical toys]]
[[Category:Patterns]]
[[Category:Scottish inventions]]
[[Category:Traditional toys]]