Tangible Media: Removable Storage of Image, Sound, Motion and Data
Tangible Media: Removable Storage of Image, Sound, Motion and Data
Tangible Media: Removable Storage of Image, Sound, Motion and Data
Channels
Camerascope

Title:

Peeps into Many Lands - Second Series

Artist:

James Dearden Holmes (photographer)

Date:

1928

Material:

Photo paper, stamped metal, glass lenses

Dimensions:

Views 1⅜ × 2⅞ in. (35 × 73 mm),  viewer 4⅞ × 3⅞ × 3⅞ in. (124 × 98 × 98 mm)

Company:

Camerascopes Ltd. / Cavanders Ltd.

Location:

London, UK

A folding metal viewer for stereo cards included as premiums in packets of Army Club cigarettes. There were nine series of views in black and white and two in color. Most of the views were on separate cards, although there were sets with both views on a single card (Middleton 2021).

There are a number of versions of the viewer. It was first introduced in 1920s Germany as the Stereo Indupor. The Swiss patent (CH90740A) emphasizes ease-of-use as the key goal: both the focus and interocular distance are fixed, the viewer is easy to fold up, and once folded fits easily into a pocket (Stereo-Indupor 1921).

Cigarette cards started in the late 1800s as blank cardboard stiffeners for paper cigarette packs. Manufacturers quickly realized that they could be printed on and offered as premiums. They died out following World War II (Johnson 2026).

Slots for 1⅜ in. (35 mm) views
Slots for 2 in. (51 mm) views—for these the metal sheet is removed and flipped to face the lenses.
One of the springs that holds the viewer open
Cards with a width of 1⅜ in. (35 mm)
Images swapped for cross-eyed viewing
Note copyright assigned to J. Dearden Holmes, a London photographer who photographed the "Peeps Into Many Lands" series.
Cards with a width of 2 in. (51 mm)
Images swapped for cross-eyed viewing
References
⌃  Back to citationJohnson, Ben. 2026. Cigarette Cards and Cartophily. Historic UK. Accessed Feb. 27, 2026.
⌃  Back to citationMiddleton, Nicholas. 2021. Camerascope Stereo Viewer. Photo-Analogue. Apr. 9, 2021.
⌃  Back to citationStereo-Indupor GMBH. 1921. Device for Viewing Stereoscopic Images. Swiss patent 90740, filed Sep. 30, 1920, and issued Sep. 16, 2021.