Stereoscopic Museum

Wel­come to the Vir­tu­al Stereo­scop­ic Muse­um! The his­to­ry of stere­oscopy is longer than that of pho­tog­ra­phy and there are plen­ty of things to delight a collector’s heart. Enjoy div­ing into the world of stereo­scop­ic antiques!

This muse­um rep­re­sents the first cen­tu­ry of the medium’s devel­op­ment, from its ear­li­est devices through to about 1950, with a par­tic­u­lar empha­sis on antique glass slides and their view­ing appa­ra­tus. The pieces shown here are part of the Stere­oscopy Col­lec­tions Project (Martiné/Ruiter), curat­ed with the help of Mary Fri­argiu, and reflect both the tech­no­log­i­cal inge­nu­ity and the aes­thet­ic beau­ty of the medium.

Beyond the phys­i­cal arti­facts, the his­to­ry of stere­oscopy is full of inno­va­tion and cul­tur­al impact. Sto­ries about col­lect­ing and the his­to­ry of stere­oscopy can be found in our His­to­ry and Col­lect­ing blog. They offer con­text for the objects you see in the muse­um and high­light the sig­nif­i­cance of stere­oscopy in pho­to­graph­ic and cul­tur­al history.

More about Stereoscopes

More about Stereo Views

Historical background

Looking for something?

Just arrived

Stere­o­scope with Orig­i­nal Stor­age Box

Fold­able Stere­o­scope ‘Kil­burn view­ing case’

Tray-Stere­o­scope, spe­cial focus feature

Fold­able Pan­to­scope ‘à dou­ble socle’, Oval Lens, Met­al Fittings

Tray-Stere­o­scope ‘Le Tax­iphote, mod­èle sim­pli­fié’ with Stor­age Base

Brew­ster Stere­o­scope on Stand, Wal­nut, Pris­mat­ic Lenses

Holmes Stere­o­scope ‘Jules Duboscq’ with adjustable Prism Lens­es, on Stand

Brew­ster Stere­o­scope on Stand, Rose­wood, Pris­mat­ic Lenses

Set of 50 stereo views show­ing the pro­duc­tion of cars at the Cit­roën Fac­to­ry, Jav­el, Paris

Card­board Stere­o­scope with Orig­i­nal Stor­age Box and Image Sets