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Collector Directory > James Vendeland


  • James Vendeland
  • Location: Cleveland, Ohio
  • Member Since : July 2, 2018
  • Collecting Since : 2018
  • Number of Scopes : 170 and climbing!
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My Collection

Biography/Collector Statement

Jim Vendeland is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. For 35 years he practiced ophthalmology in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a classical piano music and opera fan, a collector of rare medical eye instruments and 19th century kaleidoscopes, past president of the Ocular Heritage Society and a racket-ball enthusiast. Jim is married and has 3 children, 5 grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild.


Why I Collect

It must be in the blood!


Favorite Scope Type

19th century kaleidoscopes


Favorite Part of Collecting

Looking into a scope and seeing the exquisite mandalas that are created!


Favorite Artists

Wiley Jobe, Erik van Cort


Videos Uploaded by Collector


I presented this talk at the Magic Lantern Society Convention held in Cleveland, Ohio on October 20, 2022. The main emphasis of the talk was the history and classification of kaleidoscopes. I also discussed three important figures, Sir David Brewster, Charles Bush, and Cozy Baker, in the development of the kaleidoscope. In Sir David Brewster’s day only one person at a time could use a kaleidoscope. But he predicted that in the future it would be possible for a group of people to see together kaleidoscopic images projected onto a screen. Using a magic lantern projector with a kaleidoscopic lens, I projected beautiful images to the rapt attention of an enthusiastic audience! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqzQW8YqWAM