Tag Archives: viewer

mighty mouse in stereo

Posted on March 28, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. At our fall 1996 fair, the late Bob Lansdale took a number of interesting items back to his ‘mini studio’ and photographed them for issue 22-4 of the journal. In the case of the tiny viewer at left, Bob … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on mighty mouse in stereo

revisiting an Italian viewer

Posted on December 24, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. The summer of 2019, I did a post on an Italian knock-off of a focussing slide viewer. The Al Who [L WHOO] mentioned in the above link was the code name for a Leitz 30x magnifier designed for the … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , | Comments Off on revisiting an Italian viewer

another viewer for the Monday 8th eclipse …

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Robert

Toronto.  We were fortunate this time that the eclipse was almost a total eclipse of the sun. On the 9th, I showed the inventive side of our journal co-editor. Here we see an equally inventive writer, David Kenny down in … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged , , | Comments Off on another viewer for the Monday 8th eclipse …

catch the wave II

Posted on October 22, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. A recent post, “catch the wave“, spoke of Kodak’s technique to ‘monetize’ the latest popularity of stereo in the 1950s. A brief (very brief) competitor emerged in 1955 – the Delta Stereo by Lennor Engineering Co in Illinois. The … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on catch the wave II

seeing double

Posted on July 15, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. “It’s deja vu all over again“, as Yogi Berra was thought to have said. This wonderful old tabletop viewer (stereo, I believe) was offered at the recent auction down in Port Colborne – our first auction outside Toronto and … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on seeing double

as good as a nod

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. So called detective cameras became popular once the speed of dry plate technology allowed hand held use in day light. The camera itself was built into or enclosed by various satchels, leather boxes, purses, etc. At our December, 2003 … Continue reading →

Posted in camera | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on as good as a nod

a view from above

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. When the novel Leica camera took off in the 1930s, Leitz created a plethora of accessories to allow the tiny marvel to be used for almost every photographic task. Years earlier, folders and box cameras used a viewfinder where … Continue reading →

Posted in auction | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on a view from above

celluloid memories

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. The October, 1942 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine has a small article on a little plastic 35mm transparency or film strip viewer. I have a wooden transparency viewer of similar vintage that also uses a frosted screen to spread … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on celluloid memories

… deja vu all over again.

Posted on February 29, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Exclaimed Yogi Berra, the NY Yankees’ master of mangled metaphors. He may have been referring to our auctions – or the lot with the box of stereo viewers (every collection needs at least one Holmes Stereo Viewer). If your collection … Continue reading →

Posted in auction | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on … deja vu all over again.

Al Who’s little Italian Buddy

Posted on July 4, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. The company “San Giorgio” (St George in English) was founded in Genova, Italy in 1905 to manufacture automobiles. Like many companies, products changed to those with more potential for profit. San Giorgio S.I.p.A. dropped automobiles and moved on to … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Al Who’s little Italian Buddy