Record Details

Name/TitleCoin oper­at­ed Stere­o­scope ‘Stéréo­scope Moné­taire’, Oak

About this objectThe stere­o­scope is acti­vat­ed by coin inser­tion. The mech­a­nism is locked by default and is unlocked by insert­ing a coin through the top. The slides can then be viewed sequen­tial­ly by rotat­ing the knob on the right side. One slide hold­er includes an exten­sion; after a full rota­tion of all slides, this exten­sion releas­es the coin, which falls to the bot­tom and returns the mech­a­nism to the locked posi­tion. A met­al spring assists in both lock­ing and unlocking.
Slides are insert­ed into the hold­ers by remov­ing the front pan­el of the device. This arrange­ment sim­pli­fies load­ing com­pared with more com­mon designs that require open­ing a lid on the top.

(from: Com­pendi­um of Stereoscopes)

Fur­ther read­ing: Stere­oscopy His­to­ry Series — Mat­tey (A. Ruiter)

Place MadeFrance

Mak­erMat­tey

Mak­er RoleMan­u­fac­tur­er

Date Madec. 1910

Tech­niqueMul­ti-view, chain-based

Peri­od1893–1939

Sub­ject and Asso­ci­a­tion Descrip­tionLe Stéréo­scope Moné­taire was designed for use in pub­lic places. Both the mech­a­nism and the slide hold­ers are notably robust, indi­cat­ing that the device was intend­ed for inten­sive, heavy-duty oper­a­tion. The wood­en hous­ing is made of oak rather than the more refined and com­mon­ly used mahogany and the view­er lacks any veneer or decoration.

For­mat8.5x17cm

Object TypeStere­o­scope

Medi­um and Mate­ri­alsopaque and transparent

Object num­berM‑ST048

Copy­right LicenceAll rights reserved