Fisherview Stereoscope

United States, 1920s

This black, bakelite Fisherview stereoscope was created by Scientific Materials Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — a company that was founded by Chester G. Fisher and is still in existence today as Fisher Scientific. Under the Fisherview name, the company also produced 72 glass stereoviews of World War I — 6 boxes of 12, all authorized by the French War Department. Promotional text in the Fisherview catalog states:

“In no other way is it possible for those who were not there to conceive of how the fields of action looked during the recent World’s War.”

It’s still a bit of a mystery as to why a company that specialized in chemical equipment produced a stereoscope and war images. One theory is that it stemmed from a personal interest of Chester Fisher.

Primary Material: Bakelite
Media Format: Glass
Light Source: Natural light
Focus: Adjustable
Interocular: Fixed