P3D Re: stereopticon or stereoscope?

[abram klooswyk <abram.klooswyk@xxxxxx>]

Ron Keas wrote on this terminology question on
13 Nov 1999, P3D Digest 359

There was a thread on "Stereopticon vs. stereoscope" in
jan 1999, and it had been discussed earlier, see the
Archives: http://www.calcite.rocky.edu/photo-3d/
or the "shadow archives":
http://www.pauck.de/archive/mailinglist/photo-3d/

I did quote some information from the site of the
Magic Lantern Castle Museum, San Antonio, Texas:
http://www.magiclanterns.org/
where pictures of some Stereopticons are shown.

Subsequently I wrote to Jack Judson at that museum:
>>On the Photo-3D mailing list, which is for stereoscopy
related subjects, there has been some discussion on whether
or not all original "stereopticons" were for dissolve
projection. Or is "stereopticon" just a term for any
projector from that time, regardless the number of
lenses? And was the dissolve technique as we use it today,
with fading from one lens to the other? <<

He answered:
>>There is only one known (to me at least) double over and
under lantern slide projector. It was made in about 1880
by Molteni of Paris, and was designed to do stereo
projection in the anaglyphic method, Red and Green.
A german writer talked of such but has been discredited
I believe.
The term stereopticon had generally nothing to do with
stereo projection. Two or three lenses out the front were
simply used to dissolve or fade from one image to another,
or for special effects to superimpose one image on another,
such as an angel appearing to someone.
The older machines, had burners which could be turned up or
down to brighten the light behind one lensed image, and down
in the other and vice versa. <<

Apart from these turn-of-the-century of machines, the
Taylor-Merchant company sells now for some decades the
"Stereopticon 707" book stereo viewer, which was first made
of cardboard but now of some plastic material, which
unfortunately is less stiff. The viewer is sold with some
stereobooks.

Generally I also dislike the mixing up of stereoterminology,
but we have to accept that "stereopticon" has been used for
stereo as well as for mono devices.

Abram Klooswyk