Views and viewers

There are a number of formats of stereographs and ways to view them. Below are descriptions.

Stereocards. Stereocards are usually two pictures mounted side by side on a 3.5 x 7" inch card that create a remarkable feeling of depth and dimension. The best way to view stereocards is to use a "Holmes" viewer like the one developed by Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1859. Millions were made, and originals can be found in antique stores and in online auctions such as eBay for about $100-150. There are nice replicas being made today that have wide hoods making them better than the antiques for viewing with modern glasses. They cost under $40. Order them from Reel 3-D Enterprises. If you have a Holmes viewer, you can print the images on the net, cut them out, and view them.

Lorgnette Viewers. The best way to view stereo pairs on a computer or in books is a handheld "lorgnette." If you wear glasses you can leave them on, and the optimal position for viewing stero pairs is about 10". Just rest the viewer on your nose parallel to the monitor and focus by leaning forward or back. Plastic lorgnettes (below) work remarkably well and cost only about $2-3 at Reel 3-D Enterprises and from 3dStero.com. Alan Lewis builds the best lorgnettes with glass lenses (above left).

Tru-View. The Tru-View system was invented in 1931 and made its first big splash at the "Century of Progress" Chicago World's Fair in 1933 where it was a big hit. The first models used black and white 35 mm film strips, and later models used a card with seven stereo pairs. At first they were mostly travel photos, Hollywood, and even a risque topic or two, but before long they branched into fairy tales and cartoons, eventually licensing the rights to use Disney characters.

Slides. Many aficionados think the best stereo images are slides viewed through binocular-like viewers. At left are two simple "steal the light" viewers that you hold up to a lamp, one for conventional slide pairs, and the other for Stereo Realist slide pairs. Variations on the theme sell for $3-15. Others come with first-rate optics and quartz lights and can sell for hundreds of dollars. Realist made several models, and the Realist Red Button on the right is highly prized and sells for a premium in online auctions. Realist viewers were even used in the 1950s by New York's famous Keen's Chop House to show diners stereo pictures of the meals! The manager called it the "Viand Visualizer."

View Magic. These viewers come in two flavors, side-by-side and upper-and-lower. With the aid of mirrors, they allow you to view stereo pairs printed by conventional drugstore printers.

Books. Some books come with built-in viewers as does this Mark Blum book.

IMAX and other LCD polarized projections. Most IMAX movies are 2D projections from large films shot with a near panoramic camera. But some are true stereographs and can be viewed with polarized liquid crystal shutters that strobe rapidly in sync with the projection. The results are breathtaking stereo projections with incredible depth, breadth, and color, and usually accompanied by knock-your-socks-off digital stereo sound.