Polyorama Panoptique
Paris, France
ca. 1850

The Polyorama Panoptique was an optical toy that was popular from the 1820s through the 1850s. This Polyorama was manufactured by Pierre Henri Armand Lefort and is accompanied by twelve views of Paris. Early models were first sold in 1822 as a souvenir to visitors of the auditorium-size diorama designed by Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre. Simply constructed with a wooden frame, two doors, and paper bellows, the box holds a single hand-colored lithographic slide that has been pierced with small holes and subtle additions of color. By directing the light source between the two doors, day or night scenes of the view were allowed.