A View-Master is a device for viewing 3-D images (stereo images) on a paper disc. It's now considered a children's toy, but originally marketed for adults.
My grandmother had two. One was handheld and the other plugged in like a movie projector. It was metal and got really hot. She had a little pull down screen and it was just like the movies. I still remember the clicking sound when you changed the picture. I still have them and take them out once in a while for a little road trip back in time.
It all started in 1911 with Sawyer's Photo Services. The company reproduced photographic postcards and album sets for souvenirs.
The View-Master disc holds 14 films slides, but really only 7 pairs. Two film slides are viewed simultaneously, one for each eye, creating binocular depth perception. In 1940, the View-Master quickly took over the post card business.
The military used them for training and purchased 100,00 viewers and over 6 million discs. Can you imagine training for the military with View-Masters?
In 1951, Sawyers got the licensing rights to Disney Studios after purchasing Tru View, it's competitor. View-Master now is part of the National Toy Hall Of Fame.
