Busch Stereo Viewer

United States, 1950s

The Busch Camera Company in Chicago, Illinois imported and took over marketing and distribution of the popular Jules Richard Verascope f40 camera in the late 1940s. So it’s no wonder that this Busch stereo viewer is so similar in size, shape, and function to the Verascope f40 Lumineux stereo viewer. But unlike the Lumineux viewer that had a side slot for inserting the slide, the Busch viewer is top-loading. In 1951, they advertised it as the “only viewer that accepts both horizontal and vertical 35mm stereo slides.” Busch also sold a deluxe version of the viewer. As you’ll see at the bottom of this page, there ended up being a number of these viewers under different brand names, most of them also out of Chicago. We can see why — the curved design feels good in the hands, the red control knobs have a visual pop and the visual appeal can be enhanced further with the addition of colored lettering, gold eyepieces, or marbled bakelite.

Primary Material: Bakelite
Media Format: Single-pair mounted film chip
Light Source: Battery-powered
Focus: Adjustable
Interocular: Adjustable