A kaleidoscope is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces tilted with respect to each other at an angle, so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of the mirrors are seen as a regular (repeating) symmetrical or flower-shaped pattern(s) when viewed from the other end, due to repeated reflection.
Invention
The kaleidoscope was invented in 1816 by Scottish scientist, Sir David Brewster (1781–1868), a mathematician and physicist working in the field of optics. Brewster named his invention after the Greek words kalos (beautiful), eidos (form), and scopos (watcher). So kaleidoscope roughly translates to beautiful form watcher.
Brewster’s kaleidoscope was a tube containing loose pieces of colored glass and other pretty objects, reflected by mirrors or glass lenses set at angles, that created patterns when viewed through the end of the tube.
Perspective Research Centre 
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