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9/27/2022 0 Comments Stereoscope This odd contraption that looks like something you may find in an eye doctors office is called a stereoscope. It is the predecessor of the ever popular viewmaster.
 World Fair 1851 at Crystal Palace The stereoscope that I have here is a “Holmes stereoscope.” Oliver Wendell Holmes wanted the stereoscope to be accessible to anyone so he created a less complex, more lightweight design in 1861 and chose not to patent it. 
StereographsStereographs are the cards used in the stereoscope. When the stereoscope was first invented, users had to create their own drawings. (5) But lucky for them, in the 1850s, stereographs were made. These images portrayed people’s lives, places and events from around the world, as well as art. Some of the more popular subjects were images of war, native americans, famous landmarks, and factory “tours”. (6) Both amateur and professional photographers began making stereographs. One of the first American photographic firms to make them were William and Frederick Langenheim. Stereographs were particularly popular from the 1880s to 1910s with an estimated 3 million produced between 1854 and 1920. (7) So how could you get these entertaining stereographs in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s? While they were in stores like general stores and drug stores, you could also order them by mail or just wait for your friendly door-to-door salesman to stop by and sell them to you! Occasionally, they were given away as prizes by cereal and tea companies. They were sold as individual slides or as box sets. They were typically 6 for $1 (about 17￠each), however there were some that were geared toward the working class and they were 3￠a piece or sets of 100 for 85￠. (8) The Keystone View Company began encroaching on the education front and stereographs were used as a teaching tool in many public schools. In particular the sets of “Tours of the World” and “Underwood Travel System” were used to give students a glimpse of the world. (9) The Library of Congress has around 52,000 stereographs cataloged. They are available on site for researchers with many also now available online. These stereographs are a great glimpse into the history of people and places around the world. (10)
This same set of Stereographs (no stereoscope) are currently listed on Etsy for $250! (11) Buy mine here:
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9/13/2022 0 Comments Fisher Price Castle Fisher-Price Castle first appeared in 1974 and was brought back 14 years later in 1988 with only minor differences. It is the heaviest of all the original Fisher-Price sets and the most expensive to produce. (1) This set is model number 933 which appears on the castle. The biggest difference between the 1974 and 1988 version is the banner on the right tower.
A few other differences were in the characters, the 1974 little people had wood bodies and plastic heads while the 1988 people were all plastic. Unlike other sets, almost all of the accessories are exclusive to this set except the horses. The castle is made of plastic, cardboard and lithographic labels. (2) It came with the following accessories:
The castle itself has:
The lithographs have lots of fun pictures including mice, vines and flowers going up the tower, dogs and puppies, owl, turtle and some eyes peeking out of a door, and lots more! According to Antique Mall it is the second rarest Fisher-Price play set and goes for about $299 complete with box. The complete set has recently sold (Sept 2022) for $220 including shipping and the castle only has sold for $60-$70 including shipping. (3) Want to learn more about Fisher-Price items? There is a club! Fisher price collector’s club: https://www.fpclub.org/index.html I am selling mine here! Choose your favorite vendor: (prices differ based on seller fees.) Castle only: SOLD Queen only: SOLD Pay only $45 for the castle and $10 for the queen and avoid shipping and fees. Check out where I'll be here (If it doesn't sell before then) Fisher-PriceFisher-Price has an interesting history. It was started in 1930 by four people, Irving Price and his wife Margaret Evans-Price, Herman Fisher and Helen Schelle. Fisher-Price has created over 5,000 different toys since it’s beginning. (4)
Insterstingly, Fisher-Price was started during the Great Depression, so while money was tight they persevered. They introduced their company They didn’t make a profit until 1936, 6 years after they began the company. The profit was $3,000 which all went to the employees at the time. (9) Margaret and Helen worked together to design many of the company’s early toys. The toys were made primarily from steel, ponderosa pine and lithographic labels. Their first toy was Dr. Doodle, a pull-toy duck, in 1931. He was brought, along with 15 other toys to American International Toy Fair in New York City. The toy that finally turned them into profitable business Snoopy Sniffer in 1938. It wasn’t until the 1960’s that the “little people” were introduced. (10)
In researching about the beginnings of Fisher-Price, I found out that I am related to both Irving Price and Herman Fisher through two different lineages! They are both my 6th cousin 3 times removed. (11)
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