Polariscope

Polarized light passed through a crystal or sample, and the colors that appeared showed hidden properties of the material.

Date: around 1830
Maker: Lerebours
Place: France: Île-de-France, Paris
Dimensions: overall: 12 5/8 in x 4 in x 13 in; 32.0675 cm x 10.16 cm x 33.02 cm
Museum: National Museum of American History
Credit line: U.S. Military Academy

This instrument, which the U.S. Military Academy bought from Lerebours in Paris in 1830, consists of a hollow brass tube (10.25 inches long) supported by a brass stand (10 inches high). At either end of the tube is a dark rectangular mirror that can be aimed in various directions. It demonstrates the phenomenon, found by Étienne Malus in 1808, that light can be polarized by reflection.

The museum's own record (Smithsonian, National Museum of American History)

Polariscope

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