Gregorian reflecting telescope, 1734-1772

Gregorian reflecting Telescope of 2 3/4 inch aperture by George Adams, London with a shagreen covered tube on an altazimuth mounting with a folding claw foot tripod and wooden case.

Dated to the middle of the eighteenth century, this reflecting telescope uses the Gregorian optical configuration. This produces upright images a convenience for a telescope that was as likely to be used for terrestrial viewing as for looking for objects in the sky. Made by the famous London instrument maker, George Adams the Elder, the tube is covered in shagreen, polished ray skin. The claw-foot tripod stand allows the telescope to be used with a table, while a tapering screw thread is exposed if the pillar is detached from the tripod. This allows the telescope to be used in the field by screwing the pillar stand into the trunk of a tree.