This Day or Night telescope, made by John Dollond, was designed for use in a range of lighting conditions, as its name suggests. Telescopes are optical instruments that make distant objects appear larger and closer, thereby extending the range of what the human eye can observe. The development of the telescope was gradual, shaped by a series of important advances in optical science. In 1608, the Dutch spectacle-maker Hans Lippershey discovered that when two lenses were held apart in a particular way, distant objects appeared closer. He applied for a patent for this invention, creating the first documented telescope. In 1668, Isaac Newton produced the first successful reflecting telescope, using a two-inch concave spherical mirror. This marked a major step forward, demonstrating that mirrors could overcome some of the limitations of lenses and greatly improve magnification. Further progress followed in the eighteenth century. In 1729, Chester Moor Hall developed the achromatic lens by combining two types of glass with different refractive properties. This reduced colour distortion and produced a sharper image, although some edge distortion remained. That same year, the Scottish instrument maker James Short developed parabolic and elliptical mirrors that were better suited to reflecting telescopes because they reduced optical distortion. Building on these advances, John Dollond improved the achromatic objective lens by placing a concave flint-glass lens between two convex crown-glass lenses, considerably enhancing image quality. Maker’s information. John Dollond (1707–1761), of London, was a maker of optical, scientific and astronomical instruments best known for developing the achromatic refracting telescope. He also introduced a practical heliometer, a telescope fitted with a divided lens that could be used to measure the Sun’s diameter and the angular distance between celestial bodies. The son of Huguenot refugees, Dollond first learned the family trade of silk weaving before turning his attention to optics and astronomy, in which he became highly skilled. In 1753, Dollond patented his improved lenses, the same year he had introduced the heliometer. In 1761, John Dollond was appointed as optician to George III and the Duke of York. He was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in May 1761, but died suddenly later that year in November. His share of the patent then passed to his eldest son, Peter. In later disputes between Peter Dollond and rival London opticians who challenged the patent, Peter consistently argued that, whatever earlier precedents may have existed, his father had independently developed a practical method for producing achromatic lenses through his command of Newtonian optics. By successfully defending the patent, the Dollond firm became one of the leading manufacturers of optical instruments. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the name ‘Dollond’ was at times used almost generically to mean ‘telescope,’ reflecting the firm’s reputation. Genuine Dollond telescopes were regarded as among the finest available. Peter Dollond (1731–1820) was the driving force behind the family business. He had founded a small optical business in 1750 on Vine Street, Halton Garden, with his father's guidance. The success of the business led to his father joining him in partnership in 1752. In 1959, J Dollond and Son opened a shop on The Strand, London. Dollonds appear to have produced both reflecting and refracting telescopes, and they possessed the technical skill to manufacture significant numbers of lenses largely free from chromatic aberration. In 1766, Peter went into partnership with his younger brother, John, and they traded under the name P and J Dollond. They supplied optical instruments for Captain Cook and George Hadley, an English lawyer and Meteorologist. In 1769, Captain Cook travelled with a Dollond telescope on the voyage to observe the Transit of Venus. Other notable customers included Thomas Jefferson and Admiral Lord Nelson. In 1781, Peter Dollond made bifocal spectacles. In 1804, young John Dollond passed away. The following year, Peter Dollond went into partnership with his nephew, George Huggins, and Huggins legally changed his surname to Dollond, and the firm remained P and J Dollond. In the early 20th century, the company sold film cameras. The firm remained in the hands of Dollond family members until 1927, when Dollond & Co. merged with James Aitchison & Co. to form Dollond & Aitchison, the well-known high street chain of opticians, which continued making and selling prescription spectacles. Now fully part of Boots Opticians, the company no longer manufactures instruments and operates exclusively as a retail business. The telescope in the collection is an excellent example of one of Dollond’s early library telescopes. Its association with one of eighteenth-century England’s leading innovators in optical development gives it considerable historical significance and makes it an important object within the collection. John Dollond’s experiments in optics advanced the understanding of the divergent properties of lenses and made a lasting contribution to the development of practical optical science. His work helped lay the foundation for major improvements in the design and performance of optical instruments. In his own time, Dollond was celebrated as the “Father of practical optics” and received widespread recognition for his achievements in the field. Dollond telescopes were associated with the renowned mariners, Captain James Cook and Admiral Lord Nelson Telescope: Dollond's Telescope, Day or Night model navigational instrument. Telescope is mounted on wooden tripod stand that has folding legs. Brass telescope with leather sheath over barrel, adjustable angle fitting with brass wing nuts that join the legs to the top frame, which is then joined to the telescope pole by an adjustable screw fitting. Manufactured by Dollond, London. 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