In 1851, shortly after the invention of chemical photography, Scottish inventor Sir David Brewster developed something called the “lenticular stereoscope” — the first portable 3D viewing device.
It basically worked by photographing something from two angles so as to create a view from the left and right eye. The two images would then combine to create a 3D effect when viewed through Brewster’s stereoscope — hugely innovative stuff at the time.
Using the power of animated GIFs, we can now look at some stereoscopic images of Japan in the 1850s, just as they appeared to everyone else 150+ years ago.
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