Whittington stereoscope, London, England, 1925-1940

Made:
1925-1940 in London
maker:
Theodore Hamblin Limited
A657813, Whittington stereoscope with a variety of slides A657813 Pt1, Variety of picture cards for stereoscope A657813: Whittington stereoscope with a variety of slides

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

A657813, Whittington stereoscope with a variety of slides
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

A657813 Pt1, Variety of picture cards for stereoscope
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

A657813: Whittington stereoscope with a variety of slides
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Whittington stereoscope with a variety of slides, made by Theodore Hamblin Ltd., London, W1, England, 1925-1940.

Stereoscopes were handheld devices that enabled the viewer to see a 3D image through the viewfinder. This optical illusion was created by placing two slides of the same subject, drawn from slightly different viewpoints, in the holder. The two images merge to form a 3D view. The stereoscope was first demonstrated to the Royal Society in 1838 by Charles Wheatstone (1802-1875) and became essentially an amusing novelty. Stereoscopic viewers were extremely popular from 1860-1920. They were almost as common in American and European households as the television is today.

This stereoscope was developed by and named after ophthalmologist Theodore Henry Whittington (1887-1983). It helped diagnose sight problems and test the vision of both eyes working together (binocular vision). This example is made of wood, metal and glass. It was manufactured by opticians Theodore Hamblin Limited. It is seen with associated slides (A657813 Pt 1).

Details

Category:
Ophthalmology
Collection:
Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
Object Number:
A657813
Materials:
wood, metal, wingnut, eye guard, glass, lenses, slides, cardboard and box
Measurements:
overall: 130 mm x 190 mm x 300 mm,
type:
stereoscope

Parts

Variety of picture cards for stereoscope, London, England, 1925-1940

Variety of picture cards for stereoscope, London, England, 1925-1940

Variety of picture cards for stereoscope, five incomplete sets, one cruise series made by Theodore Hamblin, London, 1925-1940

Measurements:
overall: 90 mm x 200 mm x 115 mm,
Materials:
paper
Object Number:
A657813 Pt1
type:
stereoscope picture