Bidspirit auction | 1Vintage Charles G. Bush Tabletop

1Vintage Charles G. Bush Tabletop Kaleidoscope (2) - Manufactured by renowned American optical maker Charles G. Bush during the late 19th-century Victorian parlor craze, this fine tabletop kaleidoscope features a textured, leatherette-wrapped cylindrical metal tube mounted on a turned wooden tripod stand featuring delicate scroll feet. Bush revolutionized optical toys during the 1870s by patenting improved object cells and portable parlor viewing stands. The front rotating brass-trimmed bezel includes small pin handles with liquid-filled ampules still present and filled, while the opposite end is fitted with a removable eyepiece cap designed for adjusting eye distance. Inside, the original optical mirror system remains intact, showing minor internal cloudiness, age-appropriate dust, and a crack across the diffuser glass that would benefit from careful handling. Overall, the piece displays moderate edge scuffing and wear to the simulated leather covering and wood finish commensurate with age Includes stereo viewer card of little girl looking through one of these very models in a parlor. H 12.5”, W 3.5”, D 10”. Please see photos for condition. From the Allen Koenigsberg collection.