Gaumont Stereodrome, Circa 1910

This imposing piece is a Gaumont stereoscopic viewer, also known as Gaumont Stereodrome and in excellent cosmetic and working conditions. The viewer is fully made of mahogany wood and works fine, so it can be used to watch stereoscopic glass plates with no problem at all. It is a very old device, made in 1910 by famous French society L. Gaumont & Cie. It has dark mahogany wooden housing with chromed metalwork and bakelite eyepieces. It is surely an antique and impressive item, bound to stand out in any dining room or study. At the front side, justo ver the eyepieces there is a small metal plate with the engraved inscription L. GAUMONT & Cie Ingenieurs Constructeurs Nº 100 PARIS . This plate reveals that the viewer was manufactured by the company founded by Léon Gaumont, a famous cinema pioneer born in Paris in 1864. The firm was founded in 1895 and is considered the worlds oldest film company. As well as films and plates, L. Gaumont & Cie. Also manufactured stereo cameras and all kind of viewers, among which the one that we can see in these images stand out: the Stéréodrome, a salon or table stereoscope designed to view 6x13cm glass plates. The viewer stands out for its beautiful design and excellent condition, but also for its great working order. It comes with a chassis containing a collection of glass plates from the early 20th century. The chassis bears the following embossed inscription: STEREOSCOPE CLASSEUR L. Gaumont & Cie. And it preserves the remains of an ancient paper sheet stack to one side, probably designed to write down the names of the plates on it. The viewer has a crank that serves the plates in order to be watched and collects the ones already seen. All the stereoscopes component parts are original and work perfectly. So stunning, classy and quite antique, this amazing Gaumont stereoscope (stereodrome) will be the starring piece in the decoration of a stylish room. Measurements: Width: 10.2 in / 26 cm. Height: 16.1 in / 41 cm.