P3D Traveling Salesman & Steel Mounts

[bill3dbw3d@xxxxxxxx (Bill C Walton)]

I have some of the steel mounts that someone asked about and George
Themelis answered a few days ago.  We have all heard of the story of the
Traveling salesman, but here is one with a stereo twist. In the early
1950s the Barnett Company, in Cawker City Kansas used Stereo
transparencies to show examples of the furniture that they made and sold.
 They equipped their salesmen (at least one of them) with transparencies
mounted in the Brumberger Steel Mounts, a Brumberger viewer and a metal
case to held everything in. There was even a "come on" slide in the box
of a nice looking woman, nude from the waist up, leaning back against a
hassock (some of you won't know what a hassock is so ask your father). 
This "come on " stereograph was edged in red tape so it could be easily
found.  It is pretty tame by today's standards, but it was probably
considered hot stuff in the 1950s

The father of a friend of mine found this case, viewer and slides in the
Columbus YMCA in 1952.  He couldn't find the owner so he took it home and
when he moved to Texas it went with him.  Five years ago he asked my
friend if he knew anyone who might like to have these things and Floyd
told him yes and brought it back to GA and gave it to me.  I figured the
batteries had corroded and ruined the viewer, but , no. all I had to do
was put in new batteries and it works just fine..  There is one slide in
the group with a sign in indicating it was made in the 1951 Kansas City
Show, and has some hassocks and chairs in the picture. This sign is also
where I found the name of the company.  I tried to find them using the
various search engines that I have, but had no success.  

All the slides are badly faded,  despite having been in the dark for all
these years, but I think it is historically interesting and important. 
As for rust on the steel mounts, this is not a problem in the area of the
slides, or on the face or back of the mounts.  The only rust on the
mounts is on the top of them where there is a piece of rubber glued in
the case to keep the slides from moving around.  Some of the glass is
also broken, but I think that could be expected.  The steel mounts are a
very tight fit in the Brumberger Viewer and they require a little TLC to
get them out of the viewer

BILL C WALTON,ISC

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