History in three dimensions! A superb late Victorian stereo graphoscope together with a cased complete set of 18 humorous stereoviews by Underwood & Underwood, entitled 'Is Marriage a Failure?' and a charming cabinet portrait of three young children, as photographed by George Austin of Eastbourne in the early 1900s.

This unusually large example is finished in a beautiful close-grained veneer and comprises an adjustable stand, sliding card holder, a large swing-out magnifying lens for viewing cartes postales and twin eyepieces for stereo use. Both the card holder and stand are attractively finished with fretwork detail. The slide carrier may be adjusted backwards and forwards along the viewing platform to allow precise focussing and stereo adjustment, and the whole device folds flat for ease of storage. Thanks to the magic of stereo photography (where two near identical photographs fool the brain into seeing three dimensions when the images are viewed through a stereoscope) this instrument gives outstanding depth of field.

57cm long, 30cm wide and 65cm maximum height when in use, 12cm when folded. Magnifying lens 6.5” diameter. Suitable for viewing cabinet cards, cartes postales etc and standard 18cm x 9cm stereocards or glass stereo positives.

Condition: The woodwork is beautifully figured and retains great colour and shine, still protected by its original French Polish and with only very minor scuffs and scratches consistent with age and use. The fretwork is excellent. All lenses are in good condition, free from cracks, chips and any significant scratches. There is a small crack to one corner of the ground glass screen. The ivory finials are missing from both supporting rods. The instrument is in excellent working condition, giving tremendous depth of field. The boxed collection of stereocards is a complete set, all 18 cards being in excellent condition. The studio portrait is in excellent condition.