A few weeks ago we did a post on our blog of vintage view-masters and reel scans and wanted to share some more scans and some history with you! Using a slide scanner, we captured some of these images and although the whole 3-D effect is lost, they are still some captivating stills!
Alice in Wonderland, 1952
View-masters have been around since 1939, and although is now considered a children's toy, it was originally marketed as a way for viewers to enjoy stereograms of colorful and picturesque tourist attractions.
The view-master has stemmed from two photographers who had invented devices for viewing stereo images. Together they had the idea of updating the old-fashioned stereoscope by using new Kodachrome 16-mm color film which had recently been available.
While a view-master disk holds 14 film slides, there are really only 7 pairs as two film slides are being viewed simultaneously. One for each eye, thus simulating binocular depth perception.
In the 1940's, the US military recognized the potential for using View-Master products for personnel training and purchased 100,000 viewers and nearly 6 million disks from 1942-1945.
View-master also eventually signed with Disney, and began it's Personal Line, which included a 35-mm camera for it's users to make their own View-Master disks. Although at first they were successful, the line would be discontinued within 10 years.
produced!
- Daniel and Valeria
17 comments:
I used to love these things... forgot all about them, actually!
Thanks!
Oh! Viewmaster was the best! I wonder if my parents still have mine...
Every so often in a junk store I'll pick one of these up, pop in the disc and I can't believe my eyes - they are so amazingly 3d. There's nothing else like it. It's a pleasant surprise every time. I should really get a viewer and collect a few discs. Thanks for the the reminder!
what a blast form the past! we had one with a bunch of disks from mammoth caves. i definitely thought it was the coolest thing. wish i still had it!
I know - I especially love the "diorama" ones.
Thank you so much for these posts, they ROCK.
These are fantastic! Thanks for the memories. :)
These are so much more magical than anything out there "now". You just want to jump into those images...or maybe that's just me. ;) I think I'm going to have to shop again at Hindsvik.
What a fascinating post! I love all of the scans - really beautiful.
Love this post! We just grabbed a Viewmaster a couple months ago along with some vintage reels at a flea market. Definitely looking into getting more.
so cool; picked one up just this last weekend here in france with a stash of chateau slides, very louis xvi...
Janis - those would be fun to jump into. i wish my whole world was a magical diorama view-master. : )
Linda - so cool - you must show us!
I remember being so fascinated with the 3d effect of the viewmaster images when I was a kid. I still love them!
speaking of vintage and blast from the past - remember read along records?
we've found a number of them and my children love them.
also someone has them archived online.
the internet is so great for nostalgia!
Hi! We love reading poppytalk, so when we saw this post on vintage viewmasters, we thought you might like to see this! http://melodymiller.typepad.com/ruby_star_rising/2010/10/the-fabric.html If you scroll down just a bit, you'll see Melody Miller's fab new fabric, based on viewmasters!
thanks, if you take a minute to look, it's doing great right out of the gate at the Houston Quilt Market!
allison tannery
for Melody Miller's Ruby Star Rising
awesome post!!
we had old viewmasters at our wedding, which was vintage hawaiian themed... with old hawaii viewmaster disks for people to look at!
:)
bryan, i totally remember read-along records too... ^_^
I love these images!
There's a 3-D Museum here in Portland, Oregon on N.W. Lovejoy Street. View-Master reels used to be produced in Beaverton, Oregon a suburb of Portland.
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