Telescope walking stick
Walking stick telescopes like this were made as gentlemen’s fashion accessories rather than as serious observing instruments. This example has a telescope with a single brass draw tube fitted into it. The brass fittings include a silvered screw-on objective lens cap, which also acts as the top of the stick, the covering of which is made to simulate tree bark (now badly cracked). The bottom of the stick unscrews to reveal the telescope eyepiece.
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Object Details
ID: | REL0053 |
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Collection: | Astronomical and navigational instruments; Relics |
Type: | Walking stick telescope |
Display location: | Not on display |
Creator: | Willson |
Date made: | circa 1810 |
People: | Fenton, John |
Credit: | National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London |
Measurements: | Length: 725 mm (telescope, closed); 901 mm (telescope, fully extended); 855 mm (walking stick); Diameter: 38 mm (max) |