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All our childhood we’ve spent exploring many things, one of them is definitely a Viewmaster reels. Seeing photos of faraway places while some of these pop out before the eyes in 3D was incredibly fascinating those days. Traditionally, films were sliced frames of 35mm.
Viewmaster has been there for a very long time. Back in 1939, it was introduced. Its reel is made from double 3D printed PLA plastic halves. This comes with printed transparency in-between. Since then, tourist attraction and travel view predominated in the early lists of reels. Although 3-D pairs were meant for children, adults equally enjoyed it.
The Appearance
The first launched Viewmaster reels had blue outer circles and gold centers. Since 1940, production companies have rolled out orange or tan on the front side while blue on the back. Later brown became popular. In the end, it finally transitioned to white which it still possesses. Some customers are still in search of the original reel from 1939.
Design & Development
The reels were developed when William Gruber designed stereo photographs with Harold Graves’s support, Sawyer’s Photographic Services president. The duo introduced the Viewmaster at New York’s World Fair in 1939.
While the Viewmaster was initially intended for science and education, the duo saw massive commercial market success. Until seven years, the reels didn’t see any futuristic model. Finally, the “Model C” was released. This model was the first of its kind to insert a reel directly. It also came with “Lite Attachment.” The technology applied here is stereoscopic double vision transparency, often described as a “device that allows cross-eyed perception photographic depth.”
Each reel comes with 14 pairs of images, which results in 7 3-D images. The reels now slowly began producing television shows.
Binocular Vision
The Viewmaster utilized binocular vision and stereoscopy when displaying photos. The binocular vision allowed humans to determine the range of objects in the field of view. When the eyes are closed, this might become difficult to clarify the distance of things.
However, the stereoscopy technique works quite differently. The slightly different pair of images in each eye gives a 3D effect via stereopsis. This is due to the positioning of vision on the head. While the pictures one sees in everyday life are slightly different, the brain coordinates these two images as one general picture.
Evolution to a Toy
Earlier, Viewmasters were included in war zones and travel souvenirs; soon, businesses realized the potentiality as a child’s toy. In 1951, the company acquired the license to begin reels based on Disney characters. The Viewmaster in the area of Disney classic became extremely popular. Some of the well-known characters included
- Toy Story
- The Lion King
- Beauty & the Beast
- Winnie the Pooh and many more
In the early 1950s, reels depicting fairy and folks became extremely popular. They provided a new vision very different from those of scenery. Each reel had its own story. One could easily purchase reels with images of Goldilocks and three bears, Robin Hood and Friar Tuck, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Pigs, Jack & the Beanstalk.
Another style of reels included images of Disneyland. This had pictures of all areas of the theme park, i.e., Frontierland, Adventureland, Tomorrowland, and more. The Disneyland reels can be classified as scenery yet at the same time cartoons or entertainment.
Reels & Offshoots
- Military Purpose
During World War II, millions of reels were produced for the training of US forces. These reels were utilized by planes and ships from America and other nations. Many segments of points had night studies and day studies so that service members would easily spot opposing forces in the dark.
- Speaking Reels
The speaking reels were first produced in 1971. Viewers had access to a large-sized screen along with the attached speaker. Once a viewer inserted a reel into the device, it would display the first slide. The viewer needs to press a button that would further synchronize the record to the picture frame. Likewise, this also came with a volume bar on the side.
- Religious Reels
The earliest of development also rolled out religious reels. This generally consisted of actors with characters from the Bible. Some reels depicted history behind specific holidays like Christmas and Easter. All the religious reels served the purpose of education service.
- Viewmaster Projector
Viewmaster projectors were really simple. The development of reels did include a more sophisticated lens and carrying case. The Stereo-Matic 500 developed in 1953 was recognized as the top line projector. It allowed projecting reels in 3-D and functioned simply. This version also came with several accessories, including polarized viewing glasses, a carrying case, and a camera. The company widely advertised its projectors as “low-cost” with “complete enjoyment.”
- Personal Camera
Viewmaster aimed to allow the user to create their personal reels. Each picture taken would produce two images, and the cut-outs can be placed in pockets to create reels. This explicitly allowed users to control their view masters. The personal camera guarantees “brilliant, full-color stereo pictures that promised thrills” at a cost less than ordinary black and white cameras.
- Nostalgic
The reels are still nostalgic memorabilia. It has been with us for over 70 years. Many of us have spent our childhood exploring the Viewmaster. The most prominent groups consist of individuals in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, who were children at that time.
The Next Phase
As of now, the “Model O” is still under production. Interestingly, the basic design hasn’t changed much. Moreover, 1.5 billion viewers have been sold since its invention. Unfortunately, sales have dropped off, and the product only brings in 10 million per year. However, there appears to be a large market for earlier models of cameras and personalized reels.
Virtual Reality Reels
Google and Mattel announced in 2015 to collaborate on a new version of Viewmaster reels Virtual Reality based on virtual reality using smartphones. While the content gets displayed on the screen, viewers can insert their phones into the unit’s back.
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This content is brought to you by Claudia Cruz.
Photo: Shutterstock
