2-745-178 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Optical Viewer, c. 1794. Based on a portrait painted in 1793, The Optical Viewer depicts Antoine Danton with his stepmother Sébastienne-Louis Gély, recently wed to Revolutionary leader Georges-Jacques Danton. They browse through a stack of large prints using a novelty device that reflects and magnifies the images, possibly as a fun way to enhance their sense of depth perception.