Late 19th Century 19th Century R. & J. Beck Stereoscope

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Description

Museum quality tabletop Stereoscope by British maker R. & J. Beck London. It is fitted with with adjustable rack and … Read more Museum quality tabletop Stereoscope by British maker R. & J. Beck London. It is fitted with with adjustable rack and pinion focusing and elevation adjustment for ease of viewing. Each eyepiece is adjustable so the instrument can be tailored to the individual sight of the user. When not in use, the entire viewing assembly can be detached and inverted to be housed within the base for compact storage. Complete unit with large walnut storage and card case. Comes complete with two glass and hundreds of viewing cards of European and American monuments, landscape, cityscape and figural scenes.
18" High when assembled. 13" high when stored.
The firm of R. & J. Beck began trading under this name between 1865 and 1867, after the retirement of James Smith from the firm of Smith, Beck & Beck. In the the late 19th and early 20th centuries, R. & J. Beck was a leading manufacturer of optical instruments, including microscopes, stereoscopes, and photographic lenses. See: Hannavy, J. Encyclopedia of nineteenth-century photography.
"A refined version [of the stereoscope patented by Joseph Beck in 1859] was produced with solid sides which inverted into its own box and was sold as the Achromatic Stereoscope in either walnut or mahogany See less