Historic Treasure of the Week - December 26, 1982
By Dorothy W. Jerse
Curator, Vigo County Historical Society
Historic Treasure of the Week - December 26, 1982
By Dorothy W. Jerse
Curator, Vigo County Historical Society
Stereoscopes, not television sets, provided entertainment in the homes of the past. One of these optical devices from the Vigo County Historical Society collection is pictured above.
Two-image cards called stereographs were inserted, one at a time, in the hand-held stereoscope. As the view came into focus by simple adjustment, the subject came to life in depth. Members of the family shared this enjoyment around the parlor table.
Stereograph viewing provided insight into faraway places and historical happenings as well as a bit of humor. The two boxed sets shown above are an Underwood and Underwood series portraying the cities and countryside of France.
Stereo photographers used special two-lens cameras. The lenses were spaced 2-1/2 inches apart, the average distance between the pupils of the human eyes. The two prints were mounted side by side on the stereograph card and were brought into 3-D by use of the stereoscope.
Stereoscopes were stock items in the early mail order catalogues. In the 1902 edition of the Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalogue, the devices were priced at 24 cents to $1.87 each. The frames were constructed from cherry, walnut, or polished rosewood. The most expensive model included nickel plated trimmings. Each was made with a patent folding handle.
In the same catalogue, stereographs or stereoscopic views were offered from 36 cents to 95 cents per dozen. Views of the Spanish-American Wars were the most expensive. Other subjects included the national parks, american and foreign cities, religious stories, sports, the Chicago World's Fair and comics.
Advertised as providing "an endless amount of entertainment at a very small expense," stereoscopes may now be viewed in the country store display and the Victorian parol in the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 South Sixth Street. Open hours are 1 to 4 p.m. through December 31. The museum will be closed January and February.