View-Master 101

Everything you always wanted to know about View-Master but didn’t even know to ask.

What is a View-Master?

View-Master is a stereoscopic device or toy that was introduced in the late 1930s. It allows users to view 3D images on a reel, which is placed inside the View-Master and then viewed through the lenses. Each reel contains a series of 14 or 21 images that are arranged in pairs, with each pair having a left and right eye view. When the reels are viewed through the lenses, the brain combines the two images to create a 3D effect.

The View-Master has been popular for decades as a children's toy, as well as a tool for educational purposes, travel, and tourism. The reels have featured a variety of subjects, such as popular cartoons, movies, and TV shows, as well as nature, landmarks, and historical sites. Recently, the View-Master product line has evolved to include virtual reality experience using smartphones and specialized apps.

Getting Started

• A Pathfinder about Collecting View-Master Reels

• My Instagram account dedicated to View-Master

History

• The History of View-Master Packet Packaging Design

  • A look at the early state tour packets

  • A look at 1950s state tour packets

  • A look at 1960s state tour packets

View-Master Artists & Photographers

• The private photos of Rupert Leach, View-Master’s Director of Photography in the 1950s.

  • Never-before-published photos from the set of The Greatest Show on Earth

• A brief bio on View-Master artist and sculptor Montyne

  • Montyne's Innovative, Savage and Sexy View-Master Work

Analysis & Fascinating Facts

• The Greatest Show on Earth: When Hollywood and View-Master were embedded with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

• A Short History of View-Master’s Woody Woodpecker Packets

• Solved: The Mystery of Connie V. Masters

• What’s the longest running animated series in television history?

• Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, 1948

  • One Spot, Seven States

  • The Father of Mini Golf

Collecting

• (Above) A deep dive into various reel categories that new collectors might find interesting.

Rarities

• Test reels from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

• Go inside the View-Master factory in the 1950s

• Go inside two View-master factories in the 1980s

• A Look at the rare 1947 Alpine Wildflowers of the Western United States box set