Artifact Collection > Classroom Technology

​Stereoscope

A Brief History of the Stereoscope
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Virtual reality has been with us for a long time. One of the earliest tools was the stereoscope. People could look through two eyepieces at two photos taken at slightly different angles to see a three-dimensional image for the first time. Adults and children were able to travel to interesting places from the comfort of their homes and classrooms.
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The earliest stereoscope has been attributed to Sir Charles Wheatstone as well as to David Brewster. Both worked in the early 1800s. Stereoscopes were also called stereo viewers. They quickly became the most popular forms of entertainment for middle- and upper-class families during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Oliver Wendell Holmes invented an updated, hand-held version of the stereoscope which then became the favorite for home and classroom use from 1881 to 1939.

Donors

MOTAL proudly displays two different stereoscopes. The stereoscope featured in the above photo was donated by Harold Horn, who won it for his perfect attendance at Sunday School as a child. Harold explained that the teacher promised “a trip around the world,” and indeed the boxed set of stereograph cards shows sights from throughout the world. Harold donated his stereoscope set to MOTAL in 2006. 

The photo at the right, shows the stereoscope donated by Greta Nagel, whose parents purchased the instrument and cards (in the boxes that look like books) early in their marriage in the 1930s and kept it as an entertaining learning device in their home.
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Here, a MOTAL intern demonstrates how to hold the stereoscope.

 

 

 
 

Learn More!
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If you would like to learn more about the stereoscope, we recommend the following:
“Natural Magic” by Steven Johnson, The New York Times Magazine (November 6, 2016)