Lestrade Standard & Simplex Stereo Viewer
France, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s
Lestrade produced a wide range of 3D viewers in the latter half of the 20th century - from bakelite to plastic, focusing and non-focusing, folding and non-folding. This page showcases their most common stereoscope, the plastic Simplex, along with its harder-to-find bakelite predecessor: the Standard.
Primary Material: Bakelite or Plastic
Media Format: Multiple-view card
Light Source: Natural light
Focus: Fixed
Interocular: Fixed
Lestrade Standard Stereo Viewer
1950s, Bakelite
The solid feel of the early, riveted bakelite Standard model is why it’s our favorite Lestrade.
Lestrade Simplex Stereo Viewer
1960s, Plastic
In the ‘60s, the Simplex model gets … well, simpler. No frontal rivets but it has small screws on the back side and still has the metal advance lever.
Lestrade Simplex Stereo Viewer
1970s, Plastic
Can the Simplex get simpler? It can. It does. Full-on plastic mode with no rivets, no screws and a plastic advance lever instead of the previous metal one. But the color game is strong!
