Optical views: a way to travel through Europe

[...] our beloved cinema is part of a long process, emerging out of the experience of previous shows and technologies. Someday it will disappear as well to give way to a new visual spectacle, fruit of some further technological advancement, which will nevertheless continue to retain the original magic and essence that has remained unchanged since the very beginning: the capacity to move us emotionally through images.

Jordi Pons Busquet – Image Makers. From Shadow Theater to Cinema

More than two centuries ago European citizens flocked to markets and fairs to revel in the exciting scenes shown to them through 'magical' optical views. Through the lenses of optical boxes, a travelling visual spectacle, the spectators were able to observe images of distant and unknown scenes that these 'views' offered.

Optical boxes and optical views

The optical box was a fair attraction that, during the 18th and early 19th centuries, allowed European citizens to see the world through a pinhole.

At a time when travelling was slow and cumbersome, not many people travelled far and wide. Additionally, neither photography nor illustrated press had been invented yet, so images were scarce. Optical boxes satisfied many people's need for knowledge of the world.

This show, touring through towns and cities, showed images with a sense of reality and visual effects unmatched in that age. The optical views were engravings or sketches that were viewed inside an optical box, bringing the world closer to many people throughout Europe.

Optical view boxes were boxes with one or more holes with lenses, through which a semi-3D image was observed with sharpness and a sense of depth; visual effects were also often added by playing with light. Often, several layers of cut-out drawings and sketches were layered on top of each other to create an effect of depth and movement.

The same box used to view these optical views in could often also be transformed into a camera obscura. By removing the sketches or drawings from the inside of the box and letting light fall through the optical viewfinder, the outside world would be projected on the bottom of the box, allowing people to trace, draw and sketch the outside world from inside the box.

Discovery of the world through optical views

The optical views allowed viewers to travel through Europe, as they showed famous cities of the time (Vienna, Paris, Rome, London), as well as inaccessible, exotic or ancient places. They also connected citizens with current issues and catastrophes or offered an approach to mythological, theatrical and religious topics.

The field of view was limited by the hole in the lens, and thanks to the details of the engraving and the sharp perspective, viewers had an immersive effect that was new to that time.

The first common European image market

Optical views spread throughout Europe unbothered by country borders or language changes.

They contributed to something akin to a 'first common European image market', where a large number of Europeans shared the same cultural memory. Optical views worked as a universal visual media of communication at a time when access to images, knowledge and culture was a far cry from what we live in today.

Now, at the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, we continue to innovate in ways of looking at and discovering the world. Projects like EUreka3D allow us to access our high-quality 3D digitised heritage and make it available to cultural heritage professionals, researchers, educators and citizens.

This blog is part of the EUreka3D project, which aims to build the capacity of small cultural heritage institutions in digital transformation, particularly on issues related to 3D digitisation.