HOLMES STEREOSCOPE

Stereoscopes date from the 1850s and enjoyed several waves of popularity through the 1930s as a home entertainment medium. They were made with two prismatic lenses and a wooden stand to hold a card with two slightly different pictures. Viewing the pair of separate images produced a single three-dimensional picture.

In 1861, Oliver Wendell Holmes created and deliberately did not patent this hand-held, streamlined, economical viewer. Geography and travel were popular subjects, and people could purchase individual cards as well as sets.

 


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