Portfolio Stereoscope

Region: United Kingdom    Period: 1850–1890    Tag: Williams
Portfolio Stereoscope, England
Portfolio Stereoscope, England
A model without the hinged lid.
License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence / The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

The Portfolio Stereoscope is a compact collapsible viewer. Some models have a hinged lid with a mirror for reflecting light. The design of the viewer is attributed to Thomas Richard Williams.

Related items: Hinged lid  Williams, Thomas Richard

Specifications:

Classification:
Hand-held / Single-view
Introduction:
c. 1855
Designer:
Thomas Richard Williams (attributed)
Construction:
Leather
System:
Closed
Medium:
Paper
Format:
8.5 x 17
Lens:
Convex
Lens focus:
No
Inter-ocular adjustment:
No

Further reading:

  • Wing, Paul. Stereoscopes: The first one hundred years (1996) , p. 34
Published: 02-05-2026    Last modified: 09-05-2026