Humans didn’t have many options to look beyond their surroundings to far off the land before the digital era’s advent with smartphones or Virtual reality devices. Fortunately, the View-Master was one way to see the world from the comfort of their home. It could take a person anywhere — given that they had imagination and patience on a View-Master reel, through the dozen of slides. View-Master Has manufactured a customguide realtor showpotentialcustomers3-D images of goods and services.
Introduction to View-Master Reels and Slides
At the world’s fair in 1939, New York, and the Golden Gate Exhibition in San Francisco in 1940, the View-Master reels were introduced. The location ranged from Crater Lake, Oregon; to Miami Beach, Florida; to a host of sights with everything from there.
A reel comprises 14 ViewMaster slides, made up of the seven stereoscopic pictures, in seven pairs. Each pair’s components are viewed one by each eye simultaneously, which simulates binocular depth perceptions. A staggering 1.5 billion View-Master reels have been created till today.
Different Types of View-Master Reels Since its Inception
- Gold-label BlueReels: These were the first rolls produced by Sawyer. They were the centre-blue rolls made with gold foil. It was manufactured from 1939 to 1940. Only about 136 titles have ever been issued as gold foil reel. The Gold foil core reels are the only reel types that have not explicitly been printed on the reel. All the specifics were written on a label with a gold foil, then added to the blue reel. The one hand-lettered method of printing was used for all Gold foil rolls
- Blue Ring Reel: Blue ring was the second generation of View-Master reels. Between 1940 and 1941, these reels were produced. The Gold foil production was possibly switched to the Blue Ring design due to the time-consuming production. It was printed directly on the Blue Ring Reel and printed with the type one hand-lettering. The earlier blue ring reels had an orange and rough, waxed cardboard form, almost like plastic
- Late Blue-Ring Reel: Reels of the third generation were created between 1941 and 1944. Third-generation occupations are often referred to as ‘’tan’’ or ‘’yellow’’ both of which apply to the reel colour. Often a common name for these reels is “transition reels.” There was a blue back in the first buff reels. Then came the time when the reels had a front and rear buff. The backside was later changed to white, off-white, or grey at the buff reel production end
- Blue speckled white Reels: Fifth and last generation of reels are the white reels typeset. Its manufacture began in 1946. In output today, this generation reel is still used. Instead of four previous generations of hand letters, the text is written in typesets.
The size and shape and the reels’ essential function have never changed, making the View-Master even more exciting. If you still find any reel in decent condition, even if it is of the ’70s, you can still enjoy the fantastic scenery of that reel through View-Master.
