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. 

Charles Wheatstone FRS

The stereoscope allows you to view an image on a cardstock slide in 3D.

The original stereoscope was invented in 1838 by Charles Wheatstone FRS.

(Don’t worry I looked it up for you, FRS means Fellow of the Royal Society which is “a self-governing Fellowship made up of the most eminent scientist, engineers and technologies from the UK and the Commonwealth'' and began in the 1660’s according to the Royal Society website. https://royalsociety.org/fellows/)

He created this device to explore the science of binocular vision, but it became a device for entertainment and could be found in most middle class homes in the 1900’s. This was one of the first ways for people to experience the world without leaving their home and was enjoyed prior to radio and television. (1)

 There were four types of stereoscopes invented. Of course the World’s Fair was where this invention was originally presented in 1851 at the Crystal Palace Exhibition. Queen Victoria was particularly interested. (2)

Wheatstone Stereoscope

Brewster Stereoscope

Multiple view stereoscope

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.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

 
By not patenting it, he allowed others to recreate his invention and make it affordable to middle class Americans. (3) This type of stereoscope was in production until 1939. (4)


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Stereographs

​Stereographs 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)​

Library of Congress Stereograph Cards

In my collection (which can be yours), you can see the “Views of the World” in the following slides.
1. Spain, Interior of Alhambra, Granada
-missing- 2. Entrance Hall, Grand Opera House, Paris
3. Palm Avenue, Jardin D'Essai, Algiers
4. Church of The Nativity, Bethlehem
5. Garfield Memorial, Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, O.
6. A Mammoth Live Oak Tree, Florida
7. St. Anthony Falls, Minneapolis, Minn.
8. Palace Royal, Place Royale, Berlin
9. Ft. Snelling, near Minneapolis, Minn.
10. Minnehaha Falls, ("Summer.") Minn.
11. Castle From Market, Edinburgh, Scotland
12. The Mormons Pride, Salt Lake City, Utah
13. U.S. Capital, North-east view, Washington, D.C.
14. Grant Monument Lincoln Park, Chicago
15> Feeding the Pigeons, Plaza San Marco, Venice Italy
16. Union StockYards Chicago
17. Minerva Terrace. Yellowstone Park
18. Canal above the Railroad Bridge, Yokohama, Japan
19. Gardens, Asakusa Park, Tokyo Japan
20. The Colosseo Across Ruins of Palais de Cesari, Rome Italy
21. Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol Washington D.C. U.S.A.
22. Kass An Village, Alaska
23. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem
24. Falls From Prospect Park, Niagara
25. Soldier's Home "Mustered Out", Philadelphia
26. St. Peter's Vatican and Arcade, Rome, Italy
27. Petrofski Imperial Palace, Moscow, Russia
28. The Sphinx, Pyramid and Kneeling Camel, Cairo, Egypt
29. Queen of the North-Stockholm from the Skies-Sweden
30. The Alemeda of Very Cruz, Mexico
31. Sacrificial Stone in Court of the Museum, City of Mexico
32. Cathedral of Mexico
33. Castle Garden and Liberty Statue, New York City U.S.
34. Falls of Bridal Veil, Yosemite Cal.
35. Grand Falls, Yellowstone River from Point Look-out
36. The Coming Storm, Lake Erie
37. High Bridge in Loop at Georgetown, Colo.
38. Mountain of the Holy Cross, Colo.
39. Pikes Peak and Gateway to Garden of the Gods, Colo.
40. Charles Bridge Prague
41. Cliff House San Francisco
42. Levee Scene on Lower Mississippi River
43. Entrance to Emperor's Palace Berlin
44. The great Brooklyn Bridge
45. The White House-West Front
46. George Square, Glasgow, Scotland
47. Tower of London, White Tower From South East
48. The Eiffel Tower, Paris
49. Garden of Gethsemane, Jerusalem
50. Cathedral of Cologne
In addition:
132. Des Champs Elysees, Paris, France (World Series)
851. Stavanger Market, Norway

Using the Library of Congress, as an example, I looked up two of the cards and was able to find information about
3. Palm Avenue, Jardin D'Essai, Algiers

• Title: Mediterranean luxuriance - Palm Avenue in the Jardin d'Essai, Algiers, Algeria
• Creator(s): Keystone View Company.,
• Date Created/Published: Meadville, Pa. ; New York, N.Y. ; Chicago, Ill. ; London, England : Keystone View Company, Manufacturers and Publishers, [1925]

And the image used for the stereograph
5. Garfield Memorial, Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, O.

Title: Garfield Memorial, Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, O.
Date Created/Published: Chicago : [publisher not transcribed], 1891.

This same set of Stereographs (no stereoscope) are currently listed on Etsy for $250! (11)

Buy mine here:

(prices differ based on seller fees.)

• ​www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/898475434448109
• poshmark.com/listing/Holmes-Stereoscope-with-51-Stereograph-Cards-from-late-1800s-63339c229376e5ac2359321e
• www.mercari.com/us/item/m30050454629/
  
• www.ebay.com/itm/234711861830