Title: 24e Vue d'Optique, Représentant: La Vue de la Grande Alléedu Jardin de Vauxhall pride de l'Entrée.

Optical View no. 24, showing: A View of the Grand Promenade of the Vauxhall Gardens, as seen from the Entrance.

Dimensions:  Sheet: 19"W x 12-7.8"H

                        Plate impression: 15-1/8"W x 11"H

The engraver: Daumont:  À Paris chez Daumont, rue St. Martin

Description:

This auction is for a hand colored Vue d’Optique engraving depicting the Grande Allée, or Promenade, at the Vauxhall Gardens in England.  Pleasure seekers stand in groups in foreground at what appears to be the beginning of a long tree-lined promenade, while others fade from sight in the distance.  Three or more kiosks are beyond the trees in the left foreground, forming what may be a café, a necessary house and a bandstand, while in the background are small, covered alcoves for more private conversation. 

I am showing two versions of the print.  The first is as it naturally appears.  The second is flipped horizontally, as it would appear in a viewer that presents a mirror image. 

The History:

The Vauxhall Gardens existed in Lambeth as early as the 1660s, then under the name The New Spring Gardens. The Vauxhall name was used in common use in the 1700s and made official in 1785. In addition to extensive walkways and plantings, lighted at night with thousands of lamps, statues, ruins, and a cascade, there were musical performances by many of the leading artists of the day, balloon ascensions, tightrope walkers, fireworks, and of course, food and drink.  It was frequented by all walks of life, and it was a place to see and be seen.  Or to slip away for an assignation and hopefully not be seen.  The bankruptcy of the owners in 1840 led to a continuation under new management, but the final closure came in 1859.

The Technology:

Vues d'Optique, optical views, were designed to provide a perception of depth from a single two-dimensional engraving.  They were viewed through a zograscope, also known as an "optical diagonal machine," by which the user looked through a large magnifying lens into a mirror in which the image was reflected. Techniques such as exaggerated perspective, brighter foreground colors, magnification of the subject matter and tight framing of the field of vision served to disrupt the viewers perception of a two-dimensional image and helped to draw the viewer into the scene.  

It did not provide the kind of 3D experience afforded by the stereoscopic photography that replaced it in the mid 1800s, but from about 1750 until the advent of photography it was a popular home entertainment for the well-to-do.  It offered a greater sense of presence in views of foreign places and sights than one could experience in images on walls or in books. Titles are often seen in multiple languages under the image, with a single title mirrored in reverse above it so that one could read it in a viewer.