P3D Stereopticons was Re Mister Expert

[Peter Homer <P.J.Homer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>stereopticon: "a projector usually consisting of two complete lanterns
>  arranged so that one picture appears to dissolve while the next is forming"
>  [1860-65]
>
>To quote from "Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the
>English Language", which I just happen to have handy:

Written by John Roberts the above quotation is correct but even
dictionaries make the confusion. I once looked up the word stereopticon in
the shorter Oxford and though I am quoting from memory they seemed to
define a stereopticon as a double lantern which produced two images on the
screen so as to produce an effect of relief. I once read that the term
stereopticon dated fromm about 1875 but the above quote is even earlier so
most of the rare occaisions that double lanterns were used for stereo
projection such as Molteni 1880,s  Anderton 1893 and Newton and co 1896
could not have been responsible for the name. But it is hard to see how it
arose without connection to stereo unless it was just confusion over the
two lenses. The first stereo projection by D'Almeida in the 1850,s might
have been responsible but it seeems unlikely as it would be so obscure.Also
the the accounts refer to the use of two lanterns although two lens
versions of Phantasmagoria lanterns were around then for dissolve
projection . They even had the lenses side by side like more modern stereo
projectors the vertical versions came later.      P.J.Homer



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