Educa Métascoop met 24 stereoglasdia's c. 1920

Curator: Here at the Rijksmuseum, we have the “Educa Métascoop met 24 stereoglasdia’s,” dating back to around 1920. What a remarkable piece! Editor: Well, hello there, curious little geometric tower. It’s all clean lines and polished wood – a sort of portal, promising miniature worlds. I wonder what dreams it held? Curator: Its construction speaks volumes about early 20th-century entertainment and educational practices. Made from carefully crafted wood, this stereoscope exemplifies a bridge between high-end craftsmanship and mass-produced imagery designed for middle class consumption. We also need to consider the labor and social contexts surrounding photographic production. Editor: You're right; it hints at something deeper, a longing for a window into different lives, different perspectives, all contained within a tidy box. Did people gather around these things, wide-eyed, like kids today with their VR headsets? There's a certain innocence implied in the object itself. Curator: Precisely! The social experience, facilitated by technology, provided individuals with access to distant landscapes and cultural moments, expanding the personal worldview, although mediated by this device and reflecting colonialist tropes too, potentially. And, practically, imagine the cabinetmaker’s meticulous work. Editor: Makes you wonder about the stories these little glass slides contain. Each image frozen, viewed by countless pairs of eyes... it's like holding history hostage, but in the gentlest, most delightful way possible. Were these mass-produced? Or handmade? Curator: Mostly mass-produced by various photographic companies specializing in stereo views. This Métascoop gave viewers access to the world packaged up, but it also influenced what aspects of the world they saw, right? Editor: It’s funny, this object designed to broaden perspective almost has a claustrophobic feel now – beautiful, sure, but a bit like being offered a filtered version of reality. Makes me want to break open the box! Curator: And perhaps that's part of its lingering allure – that tension between curated experiences and a desire to find our own unfiltered views of the world. The stereoscope really serves as a tactile monument to the dreams and aspirations of that era. Editor: I concur; there’s something bittersweet about holding onto such a tangible relic, even in today's world of ephemeral pixels. A tiny peephole offering gigantic possibilities... I am smitten!