An illumination device (100A-100F) for providing a divergent illumination using the Rayleigh or Rayleigh-like scattering regime, the illumination device (100A-100F) comprising: - a light source for emitting light in a visible spectrum; - an output aperture, through which the light emitted from the light source exits the illumination device (100A-100F); and - a layer structure comprising a scattering layer of a plurality of nanoscale scattering elements (19, 63) embedded in a host material (21, 61) and positioned in an optical path of the emitted light that extends between the light source and the output aperture, characterized in that the scattering layer is configured as a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer with liquid crystals embedded as the nanoscale scattering elements in a host polymer as the host material, wherein the liquid crystals form nanodroplets with a mean size in the range from about 10 nm to about 500 nm, are separated by the polymer, and have an anisotropy in the index of refraction, and in that the layer structure further comprises a pair of areal electrical contact layers, wherein the areal electrical contact layers extend at opposite sides of the scattering layer and are electrically connectable with a power source to generate an electric field across the scattering layer, and in that the divergent illumination is characterized by at least one luminous intensity distribution curve having a full width at half maximum of at least 30°. - a light source for emitting light in a visible spectrum; - an output aperture, through which the light emitted from the light source exits the illumination device (100A-100F); and - a layer structure comprising a scattering layer of a plurality of nanoscale scattering elements (19, 63) embedded in a host material (21, 61) and positioned in an optical path of the emitted light that extends between the light source and the output aperture, characterized in that the scattering layer is configured as a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer with liquid crystals embedded as the nanoscale scattering elements in a host polymer as the host material, wherein the liquid crystals form nanodroplets with a mean size in the range from about 10 nm to about 500 nm, are separated by the polymer, and have an anisotropy in the index of refraction, and in that the layer structure further comprises a pair of areal electrical contact layers, wherein the areal electrical contact layers extend at opposite sides of the scattering layer and are electrically connectable with a power source to generate an electric field across the scattering layer, and in that the divergent illumination is characterized by at least one luminous intensity distribution curve having a full width at half maximum of at least 30°. a scattering layer of a plurality of nanoscale scattering elements (19, 63) embedded in a host material (21, 61) and positioned in an optical path of the emitted light that extends between the light source and the output aperture, characterized in that the scattering layer is configured as a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer with liquid crystals embedded as the nanoscale scattering elements in a host polymer as the host material, wherein the liquid crystals form nanodroplets with a mean size in the range from about 10 nm to about 500 nm, are separated by the polymer, and have an anisotropy in the index of refraction, and in that the layer structure further comprises a pair of areal electrical contact layers, wherein the areal electrical contact layers extend at opposite sides of the scattering layer and are electrically connectable with a power source to generate an electric field across the scattering layer, and in that the divergent illumination is characterized by at least one luminous intensity distribution curve having a full width at half maximum of at least 30°.