Details
Mackenstein filed a patent (FR471.602 of May 2, 1914) for a hand stereoscope. The model shown here bears the company’s trademark and corresponds to the description and drawings of the patent reproduced below. It can be identified by features such as its adjustable interpupillary distance, rack-and-pinion focusing mechanism with a double gear, and interchangeable eyepieces, among others.
The relative rarity of this model may be explained by the fact that the patent was filed only shortly before the outbreak of the First World War and by the difficulties the war created for the company.
Mackenstein catalogues also list entry-level hand stereoscopes bearing the Mackenstein name, but these were of a different design.
(from: Moulinier et al. Histoires de visionneuses stéréoscopiques françaises. Limoges, 2025, p. 79. Author’s translation.)
Historical Context
Henri Suffize and Léon Molitor continued the business of camera and stereoscope manufacturer Mackenstein. They continued the product range of their predecessor and marketed products under the brand names Mackenstein, Francia, and Sumo.
