Stereoscopes and stereographs

Video transcript

Hi, my name is Gaye. I am going to tell you about this stereoscope and stereoscopic photographs

The stereoscope was used to look at stereoscopic photographs taken by a double lens camera. The viewer magnifies the two photos and your eyes merge them together to create a 3D image. 

People used them to see places and events they couldn’t get to. This was virtual reality in the late 1800s and early 1900s! 

This card shows children at a small Irish school in the late 1800s. Australia’s first public schools used the Irish National System of education.

The Middenway photographs in our collection relate to his postings in Clarence Town, Greta, Wagga Wagga and Bexley Public School from 1876 to 1917 – a 48 year teaching career! Mr Middenway’s photographs give us a glimpse into schools and daily life from the1880s to early 1900s.  They provide evidence of the clothing, toys and activities of children from that period. In this photograph I can see…

We have some Middenway stereoscopic photos on our Flickr account. Maybe you could make a homemade stereoscope to view them in 3D!

End of transcript.