Preface

In John Dennis’ 1980 article for Stereo World, he called Tru-Vue “stereo’s missing link” and expressed his excitement at discovering a 3D company that had actually flourished in the period after old-fashioned stereoscopes and before View-Master. “Missing link” captures it perfectly, and we felt that same excitement when we learned about Tru-Vue. A 1933 Tru-Vue Century of Progress viewer was the very first item in our collection, and Tru-Vue’s unique place in history has always fascinated us. Why were they able to be so successful through the Depression and World War II with their little filmstrip viewer?

So we dug a little further.

Turns out, the story of Tru-Vue is as much a business leadership story as it is a 3D technology story. Tru-Vue’s success is best understood in the context of the larger picture of early 1900s Rock Island, the history of the bridge & iron works company that gave rise to Tru-Vue, and the men who led both companies.

Tru-Vue wasn’t started by some Joe Blow dudes just kicking around on the streets of Rock Island, Illinois. It was incorporated and run by men who had already been executives of a major company — Rock Island Bridge & Iron Works — for almost two decades before Tru-Vue. One of Tru-Vue’s leaders had actually helped found Rock Island Bridge & Iron Works back in 1912. One had been an officer in 3 different companies. Another had served 2 terms as mayor, had served multiple stints in the military in different wars, and actually ran the Illinois public works department while working as an executive at Tru-Vue. Two of them served in leadership positions in an organization designed to increase business in Rock Island. So while the Tru-Vue leaders may not have had photography or 3D expertise, they were very well-connected, tenacious men, savvy in both business and politics.

True, they eventually succumbed and sold to a company with a better product: Sawyer’s. But in our opinion, after 20 years of worldwide success during difficult economic times, that’s not a failure. That’s a successful exit.

Here’s their story.

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The Early Years: A Bridge to the Future

Rock Island, Illinois, on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River, was a place of industrial promise in the early 20th century. The city, steeped in a rich history of bridge building, had witnessed the rise of monumental structures like the first railroad bridge across the river and the largest roller dam in the world. It was the perfect location for a new venture in the business of steel and iron—a venture that would eventually give birth to Tru-Vue.

The story begins on January 25, 1912, when Mark H. Kanary, the business manager of the Des Moines Bridge & Iron Company, made a bold decision. Believing that the shipping advantages of Rock Island would give his company an edge, he resigned from his position and set his sights on founding a new enterprise in the thriving industrial town. He brought his chief draughtsman along with him to the new company, Edward Manhard — a man who would go on to play a key role in Tru-Vue’s leadership.

“I believe the savings realized from the lower shipping costs will give my new company the upper hand over competitors on the west side of the river,” Kanary said, highlighting the strategic advantage of his new location.

On February 7, 1912, Kanary, alongside two business partners—Edward Manhard and Walter C. Murphy—incorporated Rock Island Bridge & Iron Works (RIBIW) with $30,000 in capital. The company’s mission was clear: to fabricate and erect structural steel, becoming a vital part of Rock Island’s industrial backbone. This business would last 58 years, with a dramatic spinoff in a completely unexpected direction that would influence a generation of 3D enthusiasts.

The Arrival of Walter A. Rosenfield: A Visionary Leader

In 1913, a dynamic figure emerged—Captain Walter A. Rosenfield. Rosenfield had made his mark in business, having taken over the leadership of Moline Wagon Company at the young age of 22 when his father, the company’s president, became too ill to continue running it. He eventually sold his stake in the Moline Wagon Company to Deere & Company and began looking for a new investment. Born and raised in Rock Island, Rosenfield had a deep connection to the town, and when he saw the potential of RIBIW, he didn’t hesitate to join.

“ I have always been a booster for Rock Island but I am more so than ever, as I am once and for all a fixture. You can’t get rid of me if you try … I am ready now for any old game that concerns Rock Island from peanuts and baseball to business and politics,” Rosenfield said, committing himself to both the city and the company.

Rosenfield’s entry into RIBIW marked a turning point. By 1914, just one year after joining, Rosenfield was named president of the company, succeeding Kanary, who stepped down after achieving early success. Under Rosenfield’s leadership, RIBIW quickly expanded, doubling its workforce and increasing its capital stock. The company was now preparing to become the largest bridge and structural steel plant west of Chicago.

But it wasn’t just RIBIW’s success that defined Rosenfield. In the same year, Rock Island was embroiled in political unrest and lawlessness. The notorious John Looney terrorized the city, and the crime wave led to martial law being declared in 1912. Rosenfield’s ambitious statement, “I am ready now for any old game that concerns Rock Island,” was about to be seriously tested.

The Birth of Tru-Vue: A Leap into Innovation

Fast forward to the early 1930s. The Great Depression was in full swing, but within RIBIW’s walls, a new opportunity was taking shape. Joshua H. Bennett, who had become affiliated with RIBIW in early 1933, was a passionate inventor who’d spent years working on the design of a stereoscopic viewer that used motion picture film instead of the traditional cardboard slides. His Tru-Vue viewer was initially created to showcase the progress of the Mississippi River Dam #15—a monumental engineering feat and a key project located near Rock Island.

Lock and Dam No. 15, completed in 1934, was one of the pivotal structures on the Mississippi River designed to help improve navigation. The project was so significant that it became a focal point for one of RIBIW’s early Tru-Vue films. The company’s initial "Locks and Dam No. 15" film, showcasing the construction and operation of this critical infrastructure, was a great example of the educational potential the Tru-Vue offered.

Highlighting the dam project may well have been how Bennett became associated with RIBIW in the first place. Maybe Bennett approached RIBIW with the idea because of the manufacturing capabilities of RIBIW; maybe Rosenfield or someone else at RIBIW sought out Bennett, knowing of his work on the 3D filmstrip viewers. How Bennett’s association with RIBIW came to be is unclear. What we do know is that Bennett brought the viewer concepts with him when he got to RIBW. We also know that at least one Tru-Vue filmstrip existed before Bennett became affiliated with RIBIW. It was a 1931 filmstrip titled “Marvels of Plastic Photography” promoting the publicity applications of 3D, and was found in a cardboard viewer called Reel-Vue. Both the Reel-Vue viewer and this early Tru-Vue film were made in nearby Chicago. There is no reference to Rock Island on the film’s title or end frames, as is the case with other Tru-Vue films, and we have not found this film listed in any previously published Tru-Vue film lists. It’s entirely plausible that Bennett showed up at RIBIW’s door with something like this Reel-Vue & film as a demo.

Bennett wasn’t the first or the only one to experiment with the use of 35mm filmstrips for 3D. Well over a decade earlier in France, Jules Richard had designed the Homéos stereoscopes to use 35mm filmstrips as 3D media. In the U.S., in 1928, Andre Barlatier filed a patent for the filmstrip stereo viewer that would debut in 1929 as the Hollywood Filmoscope. In addition, Herman A. De Vry of Chicago was working on the De Vry stereoscope, and the Novelart Manufacturing Co. in New York was working on a filmstrip-based stereoscope called Novelview.

While Bennett’s device was originally used to document and showcase RIBIW’s dam project, the wider market potential was not lost on Rosenfield. Always an opportunist, he recognized the potential of the Tru-Vue beyond its industrial uses. The Century of Progress World’s Fair would be opening in Chicago on May 27th, and he wanted to be there with Tru-Vue.

Eleven models of the Tru-Vue viewer were designed before finalizing the stereoscope casing that Bennett would file a design patent for in June of 1933. Herman De Vry filed his patent for the De Vry viewer in July 1933, just one month later. Bennett’s design patent (US-D090564-S) was granted in August 1933, and De Vry’s stereoscope patent (US-2003480-A) was granted in June 1935. And while De Vry also created a few films of the Century of Progress World’s Fair (six that we know of), Tru-Vue went the extra mile with their coverage and marketing. They created special Century of Progress-themed viewers that came in colorful, fun World’s Fair-themed mailer boxes. Tru-Vue’s photographers shot numerous photos covering the fair, including one of its main attractions: Sally Rand. They produced 4 Century of Progress films and 2 Sally Rand films, which they marketed to the public as early as September 1933.

In October 1933, RIBIW officially announced the mass production of Tru-Vue, and sales began to soar. At that time, the bakelite & metal Tru-Vue devices were being made at the RIBIW plant located at 1601-03 Mill St, as were the films.

“We are manufacturing the Tru-Vue viewer and the films at our Rock Island plant,” stated Edward Manhard, who had become an integral part of the leadership team. “Orders have been pouring in, and we’re already looking beyond the current stock of World’s Fair, travel, and fairy tale films to create specialty films like ‘Locks and Dam No. 15.’”

By the end of 1933, the company went from producing 300 Tru-Vue stereoscopes a month to 50,000 per month, with orders coming in from all corners of the country. That kind of demand required 30 men working 6 days a week, 50 salesmen selling nationwide, and new digs: they moved the Tru-Vue manufacturing operation from RIBIW’s main plant on Mill Street to a larger space on the 2nd floor of the Nu-Way building at 3416 Fourth Avenue.

Tru-Vue had evolved into a groundbreaking product.

The Golden Age of Tru-Vue: From Local Success to Global Recognition

The success of Tru-Vue was swift and unmistakable. By 1934, the company had expanded into a global operation, with new branches in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and London. What had begun as a local novelty quickly became a sensation worldwide.

The Century of Progress World’s Fair opened for a second run in 1934, and Tru-Vue once again offered a custom viewer, this time with the 1934 faceplate (a rare find today.) They produced 4 additional films of the Fair, bringing their total of Century of Progress films to 8. They published want-ads that beckoned to experienced salesmen, promising a product with “proven acceptance” and a “World’s Fair tie-in.” Custom viewers were also made for the Fred Harvey restaurant chain, followed by special gift-boxed sets to sell at the restaurant’s locations, and special sets featuring golfer Bobby Jones. Tru-Vue’s influence extended far beyond entertainment and education, with industrial and promotional films becoming a key market for the stereoscope. Companies used the Tru-Vue to showcase their products in ways never before possible, further driving the demand for the device. In 1933, Alice Hughes wrote a piece about Tru-Vue for The New York American newspaper. She lightheartedly bemoaned the fact that the device was introduced first in Chicago, because of the World’s Fair, rather than in New York as would ordinarily be the case for new products. She enthusiastically declared:

“Take our word for it, it won’t be long before salesmen, instead of letting loose a flow of oratory, will whip a Tru-Vue out from their pockets and in two minutes the customer will grasp clearly and in three dimensions what it would need half an hour to explain.”

In 1934, as the demand continued to surge, Joshua H. Bennett, the inventor of the Tru-Vue viewer, moved into a new role as general sales manager for the eastern division. The company leased the 18th floor of the RKO building in Rockefeller Center to house the eastern offices. The demand for the Tru-Vue was so high that by the end of 1934, the company was manufacturing and shipping Tru-Vue devices in the tens of thousands each month. The Illinois Dental Journal reported that Tru-Vues were being given to patients sitting in dental chairs to reduce nervousness and take their minds off the dental work. Arbuckle Brothers, using the Tru-Vue advertising campaign shown in the image above, landed a long-sought-after account. Proctor & Schwartz Electric Company successfully used Tru-Vue in a 3-day promotion of their Snap-Speed electric iron — one of the largest advertising campaigns for an iron, at that time.

Between 1935 and 1937, RIBIW had been seeking to reorganize financially and incorporate Tru-Vue. One obstacle was Bennett, the patent owner, and his claims for royalties. After two years of negotiations, Bennett finally settled for $3,220 and assigned RIBIW the title to the Tru-Vue patent. Tru-Vue was incorporated on February 17, 1937, with Walter A. Rosenfield as president, Edward Manhard as vice president, and Maurice Carlson as secretary-treasurer & manager — all of them RIBIW executives. Years earlier, both Carlson and Rosenfield had been leaders of the Rock Island Club, an organization dedicated to encouraging and promoting the manufacturing and mercantile development of Rock Island. Given that bit of context, we see that it’s less about the oddity of a bridge company making 3D viewers and more about the mindset and history of the men leading that bridge company — men who had long been passionate about finding ways to put Rock Island on the business map.

The company issued 3,000 shares at $10 each, officially separating from RIBIW and establishing itself as Tru-Vue, Inc.

Tru-Vue’s Leadership Team