Everyone has that experience where they have had an encounter with a picture viewer toy. It is amazing how the sound and snap of the famous View-Master cameras used to make kids of the nineties go crazy. However, it is essential to acknowledge that these devices have found their way into the 21st century. Unlike before, people of all social statuses are finding immeasurable opportunities to interact with these devices. First brought to existence in 1939, these stereoscopic imaging gadgets have immensely exposed the beauty of landscapes and natural attraction to children worldwide.
Overtime, Viewer-Master has gotten transformations that have put it on another level, and today, the digital age still finds relevance in the recently reincarnated viewer. With the initial features maintained, the newer view-master allows the digital-age generation to view images on a 360-degree calibration. The current viewer gives the most classic and enhanced quality of the image output.
Viewer-Master History
William Gruber was the engine behind the invention of the View-Master, which surprised the whole photographic scene. The German immigrant would have enjoyed his success if not for the informant that posed as an employee at Chase Bank. That aside, his stereo view-master immensely produced still pictures with 3D effects. Gruber had nested a lucrative business deal with the Sawyer’s postcard company situated in Oregon. The company offered to make the picture viewer toy in bulk but encountered a drawback; there was a scarcity of the viewer’s lenses.
Gruber suggested a German optical company that was capable of producing large amounts and specified lenses as needed. However, the deal became vague due to the trade moratoriums that made it almost illegal to do business with the Germans. Since William Gruber had initially made the payment to the German company before the embargo, they refunded it through his Chase bank account, raising eye-brows. The FBI took Gruber in for questioning.
Since stepping foot on Portland soil in the 1920s, Gruber expressed his support for Hitler and the Nazis. This made the government lock him in Idaho, claiming matters of national security. The View-Master got developed with occasional intervention of William from the remand. This stereoscope photography device gained popularity among the general public. Surprisingly, even the military found it useful in the identification of ammunition during the war. View-Master thrived so fast that a plant got set up in Beaverton in 1951. However, the station was found to emit Trichloroethylene’s dangerous chemicals (TCE) and was shut down permanently in the year 2001.
Summary
The bottom line is that Viewer-Master was the offset of the film industry, including the renowned Disney World. The Sawyer’s took this device onto another level that made it fun for kids to glance at what comprised photography and animation. With well-known sculptor Florence Thomas coming on board to create tales and stories for kids, Sawyer’s had done its best to take this technology to the next level. The fascinating thing about the View-Master is that it is the carrier of the hunky-dory dissection projects on movies.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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