A LIVING HISTORY BLOG.

18TH CENTURY LIVING HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA.

Wednesday 18 November 2015

Telescopes. Primary Documentation, you can't beat it.

So it seems that small telescopes were used in the mid 18th century, even though this person appears to be looking through his telescope backwards !


Drawing of a sailor, Louis Philippe Boitard, mid-18th Century, British Museum.




The author's replica telescope with a crude leather wrap & leather carry pouch.

2 comments:

Martin said...

Hi Keith,

Great illustration! Perhaps whatever he was looking at was a little too close for comfort and he wanted it to look like it was farther away! I just hope he wasn't the navigator! Ha, ha, ha!

I have been considering adding a Spyglass to my outfit for some time now. Being of a certain age, I find that my vision is not as sharp as it was in my youth. How often and to what purposes do you use yours out in the field?

All The Best,

Martin

Keith said...

Hi Martin. I have not used my telescope in the field for years Martin. I did not have occasion to use it when I carried it. I can see that it would have a use perhaps in a SHTF survival situation so I am going to hang on to the two I have.
Keith.