Stereoscope Museum

On the day after my birthday, I went to the Johnson-Shaw Stereoscope Museum in Meadville, PA (our county seat). It was closed on my actual birthday or else I would have gone then. I'd been wanting to go for some time since I love antique photos and I collect old cameras, photo postcards and glass negatives.

The Keystone View Company was the biggest maker of stereoscope cards and viewing devices, they closed in the 1970's. Some of their medical equipment (machines to test your eyes) are still in use today. When the factory closed down, the items were saved and preserved and eventually put in a little museum, the factory building no longer exists.

It's a little museum, but I had a good time. The old guys who run it have family ties to the factory and were quite knowledgeable.

The outside of the museum, cute!

Here are stereoscope cards (now you know what I'm talking about):

and some viewers (you get a cool 3-D effect):

This shows a station where someone would hand paint a glass "lantern slide" that could be projected:

This showed a station where things would be assembled:

I loved the cabinetry for the cards:

A vintage Viewmaster! The Keystone company provided some of the images used in early Viewmaster cards:

This printing press would print the labels on the front and the info on the back of the stereoscope card:

Traveling salesmen would sell stereoscopes and the cards, here is a boxed set of hundreds of cards depicting "Around the World"

I bought a few reproduction cards myself (one of Pittsburgh and two of Niagara Falls) and a plastic viewer. They sold antique cards and other pieces, one day I'll buy some antique cards.



With the viewer, you get a pretty trippy 3-D image! Pretty ahead of its time. Too cool.

I'm such a geek, I love museums, ha ha. It was a nice day with my mom, she had a good time too.