John Dollond 18th-19th century

Editor: This is John Raphael Smith's portrait of John Dollond, the inventor of the achromatic telescope. The somber tones give it a serious, intellectual feel. What do you make of the objects he's holding? Curator: Ah, yes! He’s fiddling with prisms, n'est-ce pas? Like a child playing with the universe's building blocks. To me, it's a tender nod to the scientific spirit, the urge to disassemble and reassemble the world in our minds. Editor: That’s a lovely way to put it – a playful spirit of inquiry! I didn't see it that way at first. Curator: It’s all about perspective, isn’t it? Like looking through a telescope, we need to adjust our lens to see the full picture...and perhaps a little whimsy, too.