The Davenport Collection
- a growing resource on magic and entertainment history

Optical

3D lenticular card with the earth and planets

3D lenticular card with the earth and planets

The 2D photograph does not do this card justice. The earth and sun stand out in 3D, and as the card is tilted sideways the clouds which partially cover the planet vanish. Copyright mapcards.net, a company from the Czech Reppublic. www.mapcards.net.

Stereo Christmas card made by The Amazing Card Company

Stereo Christmas card made by The Amazing Card Company

This cleverly designed card folds flat for posting. When the card is opened out and viewed with both eyes a Christmas scene is visible in 3D. Everyone has different eyesight, so to accommodate this the box can be flexed to alter the distance between the lenses and the stereo image, ensuring that everyone may view the scene in focus. The back of the card is an image of the Christmas scene. Published by Courtesy Graphics which is a trademark of The Amazing Card Company www.theamazingcard.nl.

A Dabbit – a chocolate ambiguous figure

A Dabbit – a chocolate ambiguous figure

In 2023 the UK supermarket chain Waitrose was selling this duck/rabbit ambiguous figure made in chocolate. The packaging will remain in the Davenport Collection for a long time, but the curator is happy to say that this will not be the case for the chocolate.

Magic lantern slide with movement

Magic lantern slide with movement

Coloured parasols are drawn on two circular pieces of glass inside the frame. When the handle is turned the two pieces of glass revolve so that an apparently endless selection of parasols is projected onto the screen.

Lenticular advertising item from Nations

Lenticular advertising item from Nations

Nations Rent 1-800-NO SWEAT is a trademark of Sunbelt Rentals, Inc. The company operates retail store services featuring construction equipment, industrial equipment, earthmoving equipment related tools and parts accessories. As the item is tilted it shows three different messages, all of them illustrated here.

Bah! Humbug Christmas Card

Bah! Humbug Christmas Card

The image on this card has an unusual property. When holding the card close up, the message reads Merry Christmas. When viewed from a distance it reads Bah! Humbug. It is one of a series of Duillusion Cards from www.pinsharp3d.co.uk.

Globotoy

Globotoy

This is a simple kinetic sculpture. When the red ball which hangs from the thread above is moved sideways and released, as it swings from side to side the image of it in the hemispherical mirror behind moves in the opposite direction. If the red ball swings in and out from the frame, the image of it creates other effects. From Design Marketing, 31 St. Johns Road, Croydon, Surrey, England.

Davenport Collection website e-news #11, September 2021

Davenport Collection website e-news #11, September 2021

Click on Details if you would like to download a PDF of this e-news.
E-newsletters like this one are sent out four times a year, highlighting recent additions to the website. If you’d like to be added to the mailing list, please contact the curator.

The September 2021 issue included:
– a 19th century dissecting drawer box.
– the Pipe of Wu Fang.
– the Watch Your Step “Unique Magic” children’s trick.
– a variety of jokes.
– Mickey Mouse and Lewis Davenport.
– optical illusions and optical surprises.

To see all the other e-news, click on Website e-news.