Stereoscopic Memories

The day I received my stereoscope in the mail, the painter was finishing the exterior work on my house.

"Oh! I've been waiting for this!" I exclaimed. I was taking a break from seclusion in my home office to see how the painting was coming along and found the package propped against the garage. "I think you'll appreciate it," I told Bruce. (I have learned that my painter is a man with many interests from his chattiness and friendly demeanor.)

I ripped the tape off my E-Bay purchase, gave the item a once over. I was happy that the condition was as it was described. My daughter and I had been seeking the perfect (cheap) stereoscope after she admired a pricey one in the local antique shop. I took the little "free" stereocard and slipped it into the metal brackets that held it on the scope. I took a peek through the device and saw the image of a Civil War soldier. "Take a look at this."

Bruce carefully took the scope from me and peeked through as I had done. His face lit up. "I had something like this when I was little!" He said. "I would sit for long periods clicking through little pictures."

"You had a Viewmaster," I nodded smiling.

He smiled back, seemingly grateful for that quick remembrance of his boyhood. I love reminding people of their memories...

Tomorrow I am heading to the antique shop to get more cards for my 19th century "Viewmaster." Oh! And I'm going to call Dad to ask him about that little key chain I now remember he showed me when I was young. It had a 3D photo of him inside. I sat in his home office looking through the small plastic lens and asked questions to learn about my father's memories of his own childhood...

I guess I've always been a memory keeper and an archivist at heart.

***
See Wikipedia for an interesting history of the viewmaster.

For authoritative information on stereoscopic photography (or any photography for that matter) see the George Eastman House website