Le Stéréodrome is a robust tray-based stereoscope that was designed and manufactured by Gaumont. The device is well designed, with a heavy duty and reliable construction. Models were available for the glass formats 45 x 107 mm, 6 x 13 cm and 8.5 x 17 cm. Gaumont’s Stéréodrome was a worthy competitor to Jules Richard’s Taxiphote.
To display the stereoviews, a crank is moved back and forth. The slide trays have a finger grip to help removing the tray from the device. The grip can also be used to navigate to a specific slide when the device is put into free position, by shifting the small knob at the front to the right. Caution is needed here because the tray is forcibly pulled into the device when the knob is inadvertently moved to the right
Specifications
| Manufacturer: | Société des Etablissements Gaumont |
| Year of introduction: | 1903 (patent filed) |
| Year of manufacture: | c. 1910 |
| Type: | Table-top |
| Viewer: | Multi-view |
| Mechanism: | Tray-based |
| Bidirectional navigation: | No |
| Serial number: | 2347 |
| Stereoview support: | Glass stereoviews |
| Stereoview format: | 6 x 13 cm |
| Number of slides: | 20 |
| Lens focussing: | Yes |
| Inter-ocular adjustment: | Yes |
| Eyepiece blinders: | Yes |
| Dimensions (L x W x H): | 26 x 23 x 41 cm |
| Construction: | Wood |
| Other features: | The front panel contains a metal plate with Societé des Etablissements Gaumont Paris and the serial number. |
Patent
| Number: | FR3320061 |
| Title: | Appareil perfectionné pour regarder et exhiber des vues et images photographiques ou autres, stéréoscopiques ou simples, rangées dans des magasins-classeurs. |
| Filing date: | 12-05-1903 |
| Publishing date: | 13-10-1903 |
| Applicant(s): | Société L. Gaumont & Cie |
Glossary: inter-ocular adjustment / multi-view / tabletop / tray-based
Gaumont
Léon Ernest Gaumont (1864–1946) was a French industrialist and pioneer of the motion picture industry. He worked at the Comptoir Général de Photographie from 1893, and acquired the company two years later. This acquisition was the start of L. Gaumont et Cie, with the flower “Marguerite” as company logo.
Gaumont’s company sold camera equipment and film, but in 1897 they also began to make short movies. The business expanded, and within a few years the company ranked second only to Pathé Frères in the field of French cinema. Gaumont had built one of the most important film companies in cinema history before he retired in 1930. His company is the first and oldest film company in the world and still exists today. The Société des Etablissements Gaumont was founded in 1906 to handle film production and distribution, and it operated a chain of movie theatres. This company also manufactured and sold stereo cameras and stereoscopes.
References
- Société L. Gaumont & Cie, letter (1903) Appareil perfectionné pour regarder et exhiber des vues et images photographiques ou autres, stéréoscopiques ou simples, rangées dans des magasins-classeurs. Via: data.inpi.fr ↩︎