This chain-based stereoscope has holders with lenses on both sides, allowing two people to view stereoviews simultaneously. This type of stereoscope was therefore called “Sweetheart Viewer”, as someone could enjoy stereoviews together with his or her sweetheart. Sweetheart Viewers were mainly manufactured in the 19th century.
The bottom of the stereoscope contains a paper label of Adolphe Lesage (1843–1881). French-born Lesage was a print seller, frame maker, publisher and photographer in Dublin. He was the seller of the stereoscope, but the stereoscope was manufactured by Patrick Meagher (1829–1897)1 in London. Meagher was known as a manufacturer of high-quality cameras, including stereo cameras2.
Specifications
| Manufacturer: | Patrick Meagher, London (attributed) |
| Year of introduction: | Unknown |
| Year of manufacture: | c. 1860 |
| Type: | Tabletop |
| Viewer: | Multi-view |
| Mechanism: | Chain-based |
| Bidirectional navigation: | Yes |
| Serial number: | None |
| Stereoview support: | Paper |
| Stereoview format: | 8.5 x 17 cm |
| Number of slides: | 50 |
| Lens focussing: | Yes |
| Inter-ocular adjustment: | No |
| Eyepiece blinders: | Yes |
| Dimensions (L x W x H): | 29 x 28 x 52 cm |
| Construction: | Burr walnut |
| Other features: | Paper label with A. Lesage 40, Lower Sackville-Street, Dublin |
Glossary: chain-based / inter-ocular adjustment / multi-view / tabletop
References
- Wing, P. (1996) Stereoscopes: The First One Hundred Years, p. 44. ↩︎
- Patrick Meagher. Via: earlyphotography.co.uk ↩︎