camera lucida: Quick Facts

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The principle of the Wollaston camera lucidaLight from the viewed object is reflected twice as it passes through a prism, so the object is perceived by the eye as in nature, right side up. At the same time, the eye receives light directly from the drawing paper. Both objects are merged in the perception of the viewer, who sees an image of the viewed object superimposed on the drawing paper.

Bridge across Lake Cayuga, New York; etching by Basil Hall, using a camera lucida, 1829.

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