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What do 3D viewers tell us about the past?
What do 3D viewers tell us about the past?
Learning intention
We are learning to examine, describe and compare historical objects.
Success criteria
We can describe what we see in an historical object.
We can make an inference about how people used an object and why.
We can identify similarities and diffferences between historical objects.
About stereoscopes and stereographs
About stereoscopes and stereographs
A stereoscope is an object used to view stereographs. 'Stereo'means two. 'Scope' means to see.
The double photograph is a stereograph. 'Stereo' means two. 'Graph' means image. 'Stereograph' means two images.
The two photos are what each of our eyes sees. They are taken by a double lens camera with the lens spaced apart like our eyes.
The stereoscope holding the card has two magnifying glasses. When it is held against the face like goggles, the two photos appear to merge together into an enlarged single 3D image.
People bought boxes of cards to view as 'armchair travel' and entertainment before radio and television were invented. It was virtual reality of the past.
Examine a stereoscope
Examine a stereoscope
Recall your Schoolhouse Museum visit and view the video.
Answer the questions with a friend.
See
See
What parts does a stereoscope have?
What materials is it made from?
How is a stereoscope used?
Think
Think
Why were stereoscopes used?
Why aren't stereoscopes used today?
Wonder
Wonder
What do you wonder about stereoscopes and stereographs?
Stereoscope and stereographsYouTube | NSW Schoolhouse Museum of Public Education (1:33min) | Transcript
Draw and label a stereoscope
Draw and label a stereoscope
Draw a stereoscope. Use the words below as the labels for your diagram.
Eyepiece – the part held up to the eyes
Lens – clear magnifying glass for seeing the photo
Stereograph – card with two photos
Card holder – holds the card
Handle – to hold the stereoscope in one hand
Slide – used to move the card forwards and backwards for focus
Side view of a stereoscope with a stereograph card
Make an inference about the stereoscope
Make an inference about the stereoscope
View the stereographs. Look closely at the two images.
How are the two photos a little bit different?
Why are there two photos?
Why would someone look at these photos through a stereoscope?
Infer
Complete the sentence:
I think people used a stereoscope to view stereographs because _______________.
Compare view-masters to stereoscopes
Compare view-masters to stereoscopes
Objects change over time as new materials and technologies are invented. From 1946 plastic view-masters replaced stereoscopes.
Recall your Schoolhouse Museum visit and view the images of view-masters. Talk with a friend about these questions.
See
See
What shapes can you see?
What parts does a view-master have?
What materials is a view-master made from?
Think
Think
How is a view-master used?
Why was a view-master used?
Compare
Compare
How is a view-master different to a stereoscope?
How is a viewmaster similar to a stereoscope?
What improvements have been made to make viewing photos in 3D easier?
Stereoscope made of wood, glass and metal from the 1880s to 1920s
Model C view-master, made of bakelite between 1946 and 1956
Model G view-master, made of plastic between 1955 and 1977
Model L view-master, made of plastic between 1977 and 2008
Compare stereographs to view-master reels
Compare stereographs to view-master reels
View-master reels are cardboard with transparent photos. The slides are transparent.
Each reel contains 7 scenes. There are 2 photos of each scene. They are opposite each other on the disc – spaced apart like a person's eyes.
Reels mainly contained photos of natural and scenic wonders and places from around the world. Later reels had pictures of children's stories.
Did you notice
Did you notice
The back of the stereograph series pictured says 'Sunbeam Tours Easy Travel'.
Compare – true or false
Compare – true or false
Use thumbs up for true and thumbs down for false.
View-master reels and stereoscope cards:
Are both made of cardboard – T or F?
Are the same shape – T or F?
Have 2 photos of each scene – T or F?
Both have coloured photos – T or F?
Both have photos of world scenes – T or F?
Both have transparent photos – T or F?
Can both move to the next photo in one click – T or F?
Both have labels of the views – T or F?
Can both slide into a card holder – T or F?
Both have photos made of plastic – T or F?
Variety of stereographs of world scenes, circa 1900
Stereograph of a letter writer in India, circa 1900. Sunbeam Tours Easy Travel series.
View-master reel set of France, Nations of the World series, circa 1950
Viewmaster reel of 7 scenes from France. There are 2 images of each scene.
History report
History report
Write a history report about the stereoscope or view-master.
Use the guiding questions to help construct the report.
What is it?
Why was it used?
What does it look like?
What is it made from?
How does it work?
What does it tell us about the past?
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
Photograph – an image taken with a camera
Lens – a clear glass magnifier in a camera or 3D viewer
Stereograph – a card with two photographs
Stereoscope – an object used to view stereographs as a single 3D image
3D – three-dimensional
Viewer – an object used to view images, also a person viewing images
View-master – an object used to view colour slides on a reel as single 3D images
Bakelite – the first type of plastic invented, it was usually dark brown and heavier than more modern plastics
Reel – a view-master reel is a round disc with 14 small colour transparent photographs. There are 7 scenes – 2 photos of each.
Transparent – can be seen through
Virtual reality – images that are three-dimensional that feel like a person is in them not just looking at them
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