stereoscope
Object
Accession Number
2001.010.001a-bDescription
A wood and metal stereoscopic viewer consisting of a t-shaped wood frame on which sits an adjustable visor with two glass lenses, the visor made of wood, fabric, and sheet-metal, extending from beneath the frame a hinged-handle with a stamped patent date on its underside, at the far end of the frame two looped sets of wire shaped to hold a stereoscopic slide.Narrative
Stereoscopic viewers were commonplace items in North American houses of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Travelers often purchased stereoscopic slides as souvenirs.The device operates by inserting the slide into the holder at the end of the frame. The user grasps the handle and lifts the visor up to the eyes. The slide is then moved back or forward in order to bring the slide into focus. The two photographs on a photographic slide are taken with the camera lens at slightly different locations. Consequently, the user of a stereoscope perceives the image to be three-dimensional.
This stereoscope was relatively inexpensive model at the turn of the 20th century.
