Stereoscopic viewer, ca. 1880

Stereoscopic viewer, ca. 1880.
Walnut veneer.
Has some damage.
Includes stereoscopic photographs.
Measurements: 15 x 59 x 60 cm.

Wooden tabletop stereoscope with a tilting structure and horizontal slider, designed for magnified viewing of stereoscopic photographic plates through a large biconvex lens mounted on a movable frame. The device consists of a rectangular base supporting an articulated stand with openwork decoration in the 19th-century style, a sliding plate holder, and a viewfinder adjustable in height via two metal rods, allowing for adjustment of focus and viewing distance. Made of varnished wood with brass and iron hardware, this type of instrument, characteristic of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was used to view stereoscopic images on glass, producing a strong sense of relief and depth thanks to the optical fusion of two photographs taken from slightly different viewpoints.