Courtesy of Mr Richard Keeler, Curator, Museum of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, London. Photo: Mark Thomas

Today, for many it is difficult to imagine a world without television. Yet it was not that long ago when none existed but people still indulged their fascination with images using simple devices such as stereoscopes. Stereoscopes allowed three dimensional viewing of “flat” two dimensional images. The cover of this issue illustrates a fine example of a stereoscope, made in rosewood, which was used in homes in the middle of the …