Austrian Toy Workshop (ca. 1840-1855)

Species 1 with Variants:
	Clock Mender	Vivandiere	Cavalryman	Dutch girl
Species 2:
	Water Mill Box

This workshop produced toy optical machines. They are all vertical with diagonal mirrors and small lenses (non-binocular) and made of wood papered with lithographed images. Three key features distinguish them from similar boxes: 1) they all use the same series of small litho images (8 x 13.9 cm); 2) they have an internal coulisse depicting viewers in a theatre box; 3) the interior is painted sky-blue rather than the more usual flat black. In one version the lens and mirror case forms a head atop the box and presents a false front.

 

The workshop may be unique for this period in producing no two boxes exactly alike.