IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR VIEWING PHOTOGRAPHIC AND OTHER PICTURES, COINS AND MEDALS, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE IN THE PRODUCTION OF DRAWINGS AND PAINTINGS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles John Rowsell at the.
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st February 1864.
I, CHARLES JOHN ROWSELL, of Stockwell Villas, South Lambeth Road, in
the County of Surrey, Accountant, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR VIEWING PHOTOGRAPHIC AND
OTHER PICTURES, COINS AND MEDALS, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE IN THE PRODUCTION
OF DRAWINGS AND PAINTINGS," to be as follows:-
This apparatus according to my Invention consists of what may be termed
an easel for viewing pictures, prints, photographs, and other articles, which I
do by the aid of a magnifying glass. This easel is adapted for standing on a
table or other suitable stand, and consists of boards or parts hinged together
at one end, the lower one forming the base, while the other may be raised at
one end, and inclined at any angle, being held up by a strut foot, in the
manner of a waiting slope, which foot is enclosed between these parts when it
is shut down on the upper and inclined board; towards the lower end I
mount and binge a rest, against which I place the pictures or objects to be
viewed, this is fitted to the inclined board in a transverse bar, which can be
slid lengthways of the apparatus, while at the higher end is mounted a hinged
transverse bar, on which I place a magnifying glass. The object of hinging
these pieces is to fold them down flat, and so occupy little space, and be

page_text: readily portable, as they may be fixtures if desired; a suitable catch is provided
to secure the magnifying glass holder in its raised position. In viewing single
pictures I employ a large circular or other shaped magnifying glass, through
which a person can look with both eyes; it is set in a suitable frame, which is
fitted to the transverse bar before mentioned, so that it can be changed for
another glass or glasses, for the purpose herein-after explained. With this
apparatus a person desiring to view the picture places it on its rest, raises or
lowers the inclined board to suit his convenience, and in looking through the
glass regulates the position of the picture to the focus best adapted to his
sight by moving it toward or further from his magnifying glass. The same
apparatus I adapt for viewing stereoscopic pictures, that is to say, looking at
two copies of same picture at same time. For this purpose to the inclined
board I hinge a thin black partition piece, disposed at right angles to the
plane of the pictures or glasses, as in stereoscopes; this partition is hinged, so
as to be laid down flat when viewing single pictures, but is raised in a vertical
position for stereoscopic pictures, and I substitute double eye glasses in lieu of
the single one before mentioned, when the apparatus becomes in fact an open
stereoscope. To view glass shades there is an opening through the picture
rest in which is inserted a piece of ground glass, through which the transparent
shades or stereoscopic pictures may be viewed. The picture rest may of
course be slid towards or from the eye glasses to get the focus, as before
explained with reference to single pictures. The same apparatus is applicable
for drawing or painting pictures, using it as an easel, and employing the
magnifying glass to view the work as it progresses.