Today’s #SaturdayArtifact is the Stereoscope. The word “stereoscope” is of Greek origin from the words meaning ‘solid’ and ‘to see’. Each eye views a separate image, when put together, creates one 3-dimensional image.
Created by Charles Wheatstone in 1838, but popularized by Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1861, the stereoscope was widely found in households from the 1860s to 1950s. The most popular scenes were portraits and scenic views. Other categories included advertising, automobiles, exhibitions, and zoology. Although the stereoscope itself lost popularity due to the rise of motion pictures, it still exists in other forms such as 3D movies and gaming systems. The View-master, a children’s toy, is a popular descendent of the stereoscope.
3D technology
Each picture is taken from slightly different positions that correspond to the spacing of the eyes (roughly 2.5 inches). The two 2D photos merge into one 3D image. We get the illusion of depth because each eye sees a slightly different scene. This was discovered by Euclid, a Greek mathematician, who wrote about it in his work, Optics. 3D movies, VR headsets, and Nintendo 3DS systems are all derived from stereoscopic technology.
More reading
The Stereoscope; its History, Theory, and Construction, with its Application
Stereoscopic Cinema and the Origins of 3-D Film, 1838-1952
The Stereoscope and the Stereograph (Article by Oliver Holmes from The Atlantic)