Stereo Realist - History

History

Seton Rochwite was a camera hobbyist who began designing and building his own stereo cameras in 1929. In 1938, he began work on one that would be suitable for commercial manufacture; he built the first prototype in 1940. He brought it to the David White Company of Milwaukee who, interested in the design, hired him in 1943. The company began advertising the "Stereo Realist" in photography magazines in 1945, although it would not end up being produced until late 1947.

The David White Company had great success marketing the Stereo Realist system to the public. In addition to the stereo cameras there were special slide viewers, projectors, film cutters, slide mounting aids, cases, and other accessories available. They also offered a stereo slide mounting service. Several camera models were offered over the years, some with premium lenses and features. The basic camera architecture was shared among all the variants.

The Stereo Realist system proved so popular that several companies, such as Revere, Bell and Howell, Three Dimension Company (TDC) and Kodak came out with their own cameras using the same format. Some of the competitors offerings had features that the Realist lacked and/or were easier to use, and most were less expensive but none were as popular. The Kodak stereo camera in particular, which was both less expensive and easier to use, might have outsold the Realist, had it been released prior to the end of 1954.

By the mid-1950s the public's fascination with stereo imaging faded, and by 1960 the Stereo Realist was the only stereo camera of the 1950s era that was still manufactured. Realist production limped on at much reduced numbers throughout the 1960s and finally ceased in 1971. The David White Company, which in the 1950s changed its name to "Realist inc.", changed it back in 1990.