Red Wing Stereoscope
Recently, Special Collections received a donation of two pristine Red Wing Stereoscopes made by Luther Askeland in the 1980s, donated by his daughter.
The Red Wing Viewer was designed by Craig Daniels, of Red Wing, Minnesota, in 1982. The beautiful new design wasn't just another reproduction of the classic stereoscope designed by poet and physician Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1861. Daniels' design corrected many of the problems of other mass produced stereoscopes--the card holder didn't wobble, the hood was big enough for eyeglasses, the lenses didn't slide in their mounts, it was sturdy, and made of beautiful wood with a leather hood. When demand for the Red Wing Viewers picked up in 1985, Daniels brought in Luther Askeland to fabricate and assemble the viewers in his woodworking shop in nearby Welch, Minnesota. Askeland had already been supplying Daniels with walnut wood and some other wood parts, but he soon was doing most of the work--following over 16 pages of detailed instructions and figuring out the best and most efficient way to make each part. Craig Daniels continued to supply the glass lenses and brass parts, and Askeland's daughter, Kari, who donated the stereoscopes, helped with the packaging and shipping. The price of a Red Wing Viewer in 1986, without stand, was $68.00.
Visit Special Collections at Minneapolis Central Library to view photos from our stereoscope collection in a Red Wing Viewer. Some stereograph images are available to view in the HCL Digital Collections.