Claude Glass
Manufactured in England, 18th century

The Claude glass was standard equipment for Picturesque tourists, producing instant tonal images that supposedly resembled works by Claude. “The person using it ought always to turn his back to the object that he views”, Thomas West explained in his Guide to the Lakes. “It should be suspended by the upper part of the case…holding it a little to the right or the left (as the position of the parts to be viewed require) and the face screened from the sun.“
V&A P.18-1972