Notebook

Notebook, 1993-

MATERIALS & METHODS - Drawing - Printing

Camera Obscura - Camera Lucida

Camera Lucida
Camera Lucida (Latin: 'light chamber') - An apparatus for drawing and copying, patented in 1807 by William Hyde Wollaston (1766-1828), a well-known man of science. It received this misleading name--for it is not a 'chamber' at all--because it performed the same function as the camera obscura, but in full daylight. It consists essentially of a prism on an adjustable stand. The draughtsman sets the prism between his eye and the paper in such a way that he can see an image of the object apparently lying on the paper and can trace its outline. Various refinements were added to the basic format, including a lens to aid focusing and a system of mirrors to enable it to be used with a microscope.

[Chilvers, Ian, Harold Osborne, and Dennis Farr, eds. Oxford Dictionary Of Art. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.]















NOTEBOOK | Links

Copyright

The contents of this site, including all images and text, are for personal, educational, non-commercial use only. The contents of this site may not be reproduced in any form without proper reference to Text, Author, Publisher, and Date of Publication [and page #s when suitable].