Merveilleux
Region: France Period: 1890–1930 Tag: Le Deley Stereoscope type: Hand-held » Single-view » Folding » Pocket
© Stereoscopy History
Le Merveilleux Stéréo Mobile is a compact, portable stereoscope designed for paper stereoviews. It was developed by the publisher Ernest Le Deley specifically for the 9 x 14 postcard-size stereoviews he published.
Le Deley patented his design, but a patent from 1900 already existed for a virtually identical viewer; therefore, the idea did not originate with Le Deley.
The stereoscope consists of a wooden box. The lid contains a wooden block with grooves into which a stereo card can be inserted. When the lid is slid open, the lens panel can be unfolded. The focus is adjusted by sliding the lid, which changes the distance between the lenses and the stereoview. The two square lenses are surrounded by metal frames that serve a decorative purpose only.
Le Merveilleux is listed under a neutral name in the 1936 product catalogue of Mattey, which suggests that Mattey manufactured the viewer for Le Deley.
Related items:9 x 14 format Le Deley, Ernest Mattey
Specifications:
Patents and registrations:
Number: 305920
Stéréoscope pliant et coulissant dit Stéréo-mobile
Filing: 03-12-1900, Applicant(s): Nestor Fiocchi-Poggi. via: archives.inpi.fr
Number: 324437
Appareil stéréoscopique perfectionné dénommé "stéréo-mobile le merveilleux"
Filing: 28-08-1902, Publication: 01-04-1903, Applicant(s): Ernest Louis Désiré Le Deley. via: data.inpi.fr
Further reading:
- A. Mattey. "Stéréoscopes pliants format carte postale" in: Stéréoscopes (1936) , p. 9
- Wing, Paul. Stereoscopes: The first one hundred years (1996) , pp. 214-215