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Stereoscope
Sir
Charles Wheatstone, 1838
popularized by Oliver Wendell Holmes, 1881
History
| How it works | What
became of it | Sources
Other stereoscopes | Back
to Optical Toys
Stereoscopes,
also known as stereopticons or stereo viewers, were one of America's
most popular forms of entertainment in the late 1800s and early
1900s. The first patented stereoscope was invented by Sir
Charles Wheatstone in 1838. Wheatstone had experimented with
simple stereoscopic drawings in 1832, several years before photography
was invented. Later, the two principles were combined to form
the stereoscope.
However,
Wheatstone's stereoscope was not as popular as a later version,
made by Oliver Wendell Holmes. One such stereoscope is displayed
above. Called the Holmes Stereo Viewer, it was the most common
type of stereoscope from 1881 until 1939.
How
it works:
A
stereoscope is composed of two pictures mounted next to each other,
and a set of lenses to view the pictures through. Each picture
is taken from a slightly different viewpoint that corresponds closely
to the spacing of the eyes. The left picture represents what
the left eye would see, and likewise for the right picture.
When observing the pictures through a special viewer, the pair of
two-dimensional pictures merge together into a single three-dimensional
photograph.
We
can see a 3D picture through a stereoscope for the same reason a
building appears three-dimensional. The right and left eyes
see a slightly different version of the same scene, and taken together,
we get an illusion of depth. This phenomenon had been known
for quite some time, ever since the ancient Greek mathematician
Euclid discovered the principles of binocular vision.
Early
stereo photographs were taken with a camera mounted on a tripod
with a sliding bar. Once the first picture was taken and a new photographic
plate was inserted, the camera was moved about 7 cm along the bar
(approximately adult eye spacing). Then, the second picture
was taken.
What
became of it:
Stereoscopes
continued to be widespread in America until the 1930s. Then
stereoscope production declined, likely due to the new interest
in motion pictures. However, the stereoscope continues to
offer viewers something that no ordinary photograph or movie can
offer, namely a sense of depth and image realism. A descendant
of the stereoscope, the Viewmaster, is currently a popular children's
toy.
Sources:
Interview
with Mr. Phil Condax, August 7, 2000 5:30 pm
Background
information:
http://www.bitwise.net/~ken-bill/stereo.htm
To see a modern stereoscope:
http://www.3dviewmax.com/
Other
stereoscopes in our collection:
(click to view larger pictures)
| Conway
Stereo Viewer |
1920s-30s
Stereo Viewer |
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