kaleidoscope

—

by

Kate Davies Designs
in ,

I’m happy that many of you enjoy the crown of Eawas because really, a six-point crown is one of the things I most love to design.

Easwas crown

Six-point crowns, involving the interlocking geometry of stars and hexagons, feature on some of my favourite hats – like Snawheid

Snawheid

or Peerie Flooers

Peerie Flooers

Because of their shared pleasures of circles, symmetry and repeating patterns, when I’m designing hat crowns, I often find myself thinking about the kaleidoscope . . .

1817 Kaleidoscope. David Brewster / Philip Carpenter. Science Museum.

. . . the simple tubular device, which delights the human eye’s love of symmetry and pattern. The kaleidoscope was invented by Scottish optical pioneer,  David Brewster, in 1815.

David Brewster with his stereoscope, which he invented. Science Museum

The continually-curious and inventive Brewster was fascinated by the reflective effect of a candle, viewed down the length of two mirrors which had been placed at right angles to each other. He later discovered that truly beautiful, and continually changing, symmetrical patterns might be created by  simply placing the angled mirrors in a small tube, at the end of which was a chamber filled with light reflecting (or diffusing) objects. 

image from 1817 Brewster kaleidoscope. Science Museum.

Brewster’s portable pattern-viewing device proved to be immediately, ridiculously popular: before he could patent his kaleidoscope, over two-hundred thousand copies had been made and sold (at no benefit at all to its inventor).

image from 1817 Brewster kaleidoscope. Science Museum.

Nineteenth-century folk clearly found the kaleidoscope’s combination of repeating patterns, circular shapes, and reflective symmetry deeply fascinating.

I find it fascinating too!

image from 1817 Brewster kaleidoscope. Science Museum.

A while ago, Tom and I decided to have a go at making our own kaleidoscope. Like Brewster’s original device, ours involved a short tube, some angled mirrors, and a few wee objects to reflect. I personally found that making the kaleidoscope was a very interesting and thought-provoking process!

. . .and Tom very much enjoyed the kaleidoscope’s image-making opportunities.

We had enormous fun experimenting and creating creating beautiful aesthetic effects from very ordinary tiny things – a few beads, some scraps of cut paper.

The kaleidoscope we made was from an inexpensive kit, intended for a child

What fun! Making the kaleidoscope, and experimenting with it was one of those interesting experiences of really getting to think through things.

And my wee kaleidoscope has certainly inspired me to think differently about pattern repeats, reflections, symmetry, stars and hexagons

. . . and hat crowns

Whatever it is that you are making, I hope that you have fun today.

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Comments

12 responses to “kaleidoscope”

  1. Artelinas Avatar
    Artelinas

    Mindfulness in a small scale 😍👍

    Reply
  2. GAIL KENDALL Avatar
    GAIL KENDALL

    What an enticing news letter. I am in my 70’s and have never been without a kaleidoscope close to hand since age three or four. Thanks for taking me back and moving me forward

    Reply
  3. susan Avatar
    susan

    we had kaleidoscopes also as children and they were a never ending source of wonder! thank you for reminding us of this great ‘toy’.

    Reply
  4. Dawn in nl Avatar
    Dawn in nl

    Now I understand some of the recent @ootlier photos :)

    Reply
  5. Gretchen (aka stashdragon) Avatar
    Gretchen (aka stashdragon)

    A kaleidoscope was one of my first and favorite childhood toys. Probably bought at Woolworths, a cheap but satisfactory version of the classic type where the pieces to be reflected are bits of colored glass (or more likely translucent colored plastic, for safety): endless vistas of stained glass. When the beauty of a configuration particularly amazed me I would hold the tube steady so that I could offer the view to my friends or family – “ooh, look at this one!”

    Reply
  6. alixpearson Avatar
    alixpearson

    I have a pair of hinged folding mirrors which can be set at an appropriate angle on patterned fabric in order to help me see how I can create a kaleidoscope effect in patchwork. It is just as much fun to play with as a real kaleidoscope.

    Reply
  7. BeeGi Avatar
    BeeGi

    love kaleidoscopes! I once aspired to collect them, but then realized that would be an expensive hobby. (So I am envious of Kikithefirst and her cache of wonder!) That fascination also explains my love of six-sided motifs, I imagine.

    I’d never seen the Brewster images — thank you for sharing them. Yet another brilliant Scot!

    Reply
  8. kikithefirst Avatar
    kikithefirst

    My mother so loved Kaleidoscopes that she began collecting them. I now have them, at least 32 of them. One of the best is just mirrors through which you look at what’s around you. A bookcase is particularly effective.

    Reply
    1. KDD Avatar
      KDD

      wow!

      Reply
    2. Gretchen (aka stashdragon) Avatar
      Gretchen (aka stashdragon)

      I too have one of those kaleidoscopes that simply fracture and reflect the view around you. It’s truly fascinating.

      Reply
  9. carabreac Avatar
    carabreac

    We had a kaleidoscope as children too. I loved looking through it at the ever changing colours. Thanks for this, I didn’t know kaleidoscope could be homemade.

    Reply
  10. Dorthe Jespersen Avatar
    Dorthe Jespersen

    I am 62 and had my first kaleidoscope when I was 4, and have loved them ever since. When I visit a Church I often wish I could descretely shake the glass mosaic windows to see new paterns 🤗

    Reply

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