"[grand?] foquet", 1793, not in OED

Thu Dec 26 18:59:15 UTC 2013

Jean Foquet (also spelled Fouquet and numerous other ways) was an important miniaturist. Maybe it was an optical device that was nicknamed for him?

http://books.google.com/books?id=DSShAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA311&lpg=PA311&dq=jean+foquet+miniature+technique&source=bl&ots=4hpIgdcUVw&sig=3OF-m75PsTAQweBg7OVcs5zP1pw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=MXu8UtXWIZfmoASs3oLIAw&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=jean%20foquet%20miniature%20technique&f=false

On Dec 25, 2013, at 7:20 PM, Joel S. Berson wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: "[grand?] foquet", 1793, not in OED
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 12/25/2013 08:42 PM, John Doe wrote:
>
>> On Wed, Dec 25, 2013 at 7:40 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>>
>>> "The grand foquet raises the human countenance, or any other object
>>> from the size of miniature to that of life and reflects it with all
>>> its tints and shades on canvass; so that an exact likeness may be
>>> preserved, tho' so varied in size."
>>>
>>
>> I tried "fouquet" - Le Grand Fouquet is the name of a hotel - and I didn't
>> find that, either.
>>
>>
>> --
>> -Wilson
>
> Yes.  I'm utterly mystified what this is, and why there seem to be no
> other instances in English (aside from a few similar advertisements
> in EAN -- although I haven't yet gone to British newspapers or
> journals, ECCO, etc.).  I even thought of "focus", as in changing
> focal lengths (the "grand foquet" is an optical device, perhaps
> similar to a camera obscura), but I can't tie the knot for "focus" either.
>
> Joel
>
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