Stereoscope Hand-held Viewer

Keystone View Company

In the early 1900’s the Stereoscope Hand-held Viewer was used for individual viewing of pictures mounted on stereocards. Viewing stereocard images through a stereoscope projector provided the viewer a three-dimensional image, and often their only connection with far-away places typically depicted in the viewer.

The Stereoscope was not only a popular device for schools, but many libraries and homes had stereoscopes for entertainment and education. Many libraries had cabinets containing hundreds of stereoscope frames, and travel photography via a stereoscopic camera was a viable business at a time when television was only a dream and few people traveled more than a few miles from their homes.