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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
History:
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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