This was the Knapp’s first kaleidoscope. There was also a “Prototype Parlor” kaleidoscope but only two were made, one for the artist’s and one for Cozy Baker. A list of early Knapp kaleidoscopes referred to this scope only as Model #1 and indicated that it was available in solid Walnut and Oak. However, the Light Opera Gallery catalog from 1990 shows a picture of this scope and has it under the name “Tactile Heaven”. The scope in the catalog is described as being Birdseye maple and “Inside is flame-worked glass encased in fluid motion, backed by a diffraction lens.” There is also a picture of this scope included in a group picture of Knapp kaleidoscopes in “Kaleidoscope Renaissance” by Cozy Baker, 1993. The scope in that picture also appears to be made from Maple, possibly Maple Burl, similar to the one in the Light Opera Gallery catalog. The end of the kaleidoscope is visible in that picture and the “diffraction lens” appears to be a clear multifaceted lens.
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