This is a particularly historically significant eclipse. The slave Nat Turner took the February 12, 1831 eclipse as a sign from God that he was to lead a slave uprising. That uprising, coming later in 1831, was a galvanizing event in the history of the struggle for civil rights in this country, inspiring John Brown's armed insurrection almost 30 years later and setting the stage for the Civil War and the ultimate emancipation of the slaves. This viewer thus has pride of place in my collection.

Below the glass on the wood it reads "Eclipse, 2 month 12, 1831"