The Lestrade and View-Master are closed-body stereoscopes after the fashion of the Brewster design. The only basic difference between the two is the configuration of the stereographs. The rectangular Lestrade cards pass through the stereoscope body, while the View-Master's circular reel spins inside its housing. Both are advanced by a ratchet mechanism. This gives the Lestrade the advantage of three extra views per card (10 to the View-Master's 7), although the View-Master seems to have been the more popular of the two.
These bakelite or plastic scopes are light and maneuverable but require a relatively strong light source in comparison with open-bodied Holmes based designs. Lacking a stand, and because of the need to be held (usually) upwards towards a light source, there is a tendency towards tremble. This, and the friction of the plastic eyepieces against the viewer's face are constant reminders of the viewing position and work against an involvement inside the stereoscopic scene. This position is augmented by the design of the stereographs. The 1939 onwards, View-Master uses a much smaller stereograph than its predecessors. It does not produce the same dramatic sense of separation as the 19th century scopes, although 3D effect is amplified in these late models when views are shot in close-up with a long object angled to the front of the frame. A waist-up shot of a baseball player pointing his bat towards the viewer, for instance, has the effect of the bat bridging the characteristic black void which frames the View-Master picture, to reach across into the viewer's space.
View-Master's latest scope, however, promises a 50% increase in image size.
By the 1970s, the View-Master had changed its personality to suit a new market of users. Morphing through constant body modifications calculated to appeal to a different market, and moving into subject matter which was more likely to be cartoon characters or television scenarios rather than traditional topographical views, the View-Master had become, primarily, a children's toy.
Oliver Wendell Holmes and other 19th century supporters of the stereoscope who argued that its function was education rather than entertainment had lost their battle. Topographical views are still available today, but with the emphasis on cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse or Batman, and Startrek or sit-com television scenes, the photographic link with reality, so crucial to Holmes' thinking, was lost. The stereoscope is increasingly becoming a device for viewing a representation of a representation, twice removed from reality.
