L’Alternascope Stereoscope

France, 1920s

This unique wood stereoscope was produced by A. Mattey under the Unis-France brand. It’s typically a handheld viewer but we have two in our collection — one handheld and one modified for use with a stand. This stereoscope is unique because it’s designed to view the EDUCA multi-pair glass plates and were a more portable alternative to the larger EDUCA tabletop viewers. The glass plates have 12 stereo pairs on each plate. Like it’s larger sibling, this more portable viewer was for educational use so the stereoview subjects are usually geographic in nature; however, we have some war-specific plates and have heard there are erotic plates as well (unsure what class that would have been for!) To view the images in 3D, slide the wooden plate holder up/down and left/right. The lens board can be pulled out to adjust the focus.

Material: Wood & metal
Media Format: Multi-view glass plate
Light Source: Natural light
Focus: Adjustable
Interocular: Fixed