Re: Realist history

[P3D Dr. George A. Themelis <fj834@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bill Davis' attempt to rewrite stereo history deserves a response from DrT:

>In 1947, a small optics company in Milwaukee, facing a post-war slowdown,
>goes out on a limb and decides to try building and selling cameras. 
>Stereo cameras.

The David White company was never an optics company.  It was (and still is)
a precision instrument company, specializing in surveying equipment. 
Post-war slowdown??  The decision to build and sell stereo cameras was a
happy coincidence, described in the last issue of the "Stereogram" (issue
2, vol. 1), reproduced here by permission of both the author and the editor:-):

"In 1943, a young engineer named Seton Rochwite went to the David White
Company in Milwaukee for a job interview.  Seton brought with him a stereo
viewer that he had built, and color stereo slides that he took with his
prototype stereo camera, just to show some of the things he was capable of.
The general manager of the company, Theodore Salzer, found the stereo
slides interesting but he was not sure if the company (a manufacturer of
precision surveying instruments) would be interested in making something
like that.  Seton did not have this in mind when he showed the slides, but
he got inspired with the idea and prepared a report on the possibilities of
the stereo camera."

"It took the David White company 9 months to decide, and, despite a rather
negative market survey and no experience in the manufacture of photographic
equipment, it decided to go ahead with the production of complete stereo
system: camera, viewer and mounting service.  That's how the Stereo Realist
was born.  Seton Rochwite was hired in the fall of 1943 and started working
on the design of the system.  He designed the camera, viewer (red button)
and even the Realist logo!  By 1947 the Realist was ready to come out and
Seton quit his job and moved ahead to face new challenges."

At least we have a documented history behind the production of the first
American stereo camera.  What do we know about Kodak?  It was introduced in
1955 trying to capture some of the pie that was cooked by David White and
the Realist.  And it was successful thanks to the low selling price (half
the Realist) no doubt possible via the use of cheaper materials and cutting
off features like the rangefinder.

To be continued... 

-- George Themelis


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