Beckers, Alexander
Region: United States Period: 1850–1890 Occupation: Inventor / Instrument maker Alexander Beckers* 1815, Germany † 1905, United States
Alexander Beckers was a German born daguerreotypist and inventor and manufacturer of stereoscopes. He designed a multiview stereoscope based on a rotating belt mechanism. This design served as a model for the chain-based stereoscope, a type that would continue to be manufactured until the 1930s.
The first recorded presence of Beckers in the United States is a registration in Philadelphia in 1836. He learned the daguerreotype process from Frederick Langenheim and was working for the Langenheim brothers’ company in 1843.
In 1857 he patented his first design for a chain-based stereoscope. One year later he sold his daguerreotype business and subsequently focused on the design and manufacture of stereoscopes. From 1869 to 1870 his company was located at 560 Broadway in New York.
Related items:Chain-based stereoscope Daguerreotype Daguerreotypist Langenheim brothers
Further reading:
- Craig, John S.. "Beckers, Alexander" in: Craig's Daguerreian Registry (1997) . via: craigcamera.com
- Wing, Paul. Stereoscopes: The first one hundred years (1996) , pp. 61-69