James Lee

Stereoscopes by James Lee

James Lee was born in 1830 in England. He was a cabinetmaker and large producer of stereoscopes from the late 1850's into the 1880's. He lived in New York City on Staten Island in the community of Brighton and in 1870 he listed his shop at 127 Elm, New York City. He secured three patents in his own name, two for stereographoscopes and one for a rotary viewer. Lee partnered with G. H. Sealy on another patent for a rotary viewer. His stereoscopes bear a resemblance to those of Alexander Beckers. E & H. T. Anthony and Company sold most of the viewers made by Lee. In their 1860 catalog Beckers style viewers were listed between $18 and $50 and stereographs brought $3 to $6 a dozen.

Lee produced other stereoscope models that were not patented as was a common practice at the time. A unique, rare and early hand held model is shown first. It was made in the early 1860's and has an embossed paper hood and round lenses. The handle is original and will also be used as a foot on other Lee models. The card holder is an unusual shape and allows the stereoscope to sit nicely on a flat surface. The card holder uses a single tack for tension.

A later model has a different shaped less ornate banjo, a larger nose opening and a two piece brass clip for tension on the card holder. The card holder is also shaped differently and the handle is slightly different. It is stamped "J. Lee, NY, Patent applied for" on the end of the banjo. No patent can be found for any of the hand held models.

Other later Lee viewers are identified by the banjo style or hood construction. Here are several examples. On the two with stands, note the rectangular hoods and that the spindle style is distinctive. The rectangular hoods were popular on stereoscopes made before 1870.

Note the shape and the extra large width of the banjo and the square end. These are key identifiers for Lee viewers. They will be found with wood or embossed paper hoods. Some had a brass strip on the top of the nose piece. One has a large "S" in the center of the paper hood, perhaps for Sealey.

Beckers Style Viewers By Lee

Lee produced a variety of other stereoscopes. Some are marked with a metal tag or a faint blindstamp with his name. His first patent was #22,838 issued on February 1, 1859 for a revolving stereoscope. Today we call this class of viewer "Beckers". This viewer does not match the patent but is was the only one he cited as a claim on this type viewer. The viewer below is called a "Sweetheart" rotary stereoscope and holds 50 views back to back. It was called "Sweetheart" because it has lenses front and back for simultaneous viewing by you and your "Sweetheart". It has a metal ID tag. Patent #22,838 issued February 1, 1859.

Stereographoscope Viewers By Lee

Lee was issued two patents for stereographoscopes. He produced these in great quantities and with many variations.

A Lee "Stereographoscope" with two storage drawers and folding eye shields. Patent #177,527 issued May 16, 1876. A faint blindstamp behind the large lens shows "J. Lee". E & H. T. Anthony and Company announced stereographoscopes for the first time in 1871. In their 1872 catalog they were priced at $18 to $55. This model was likely the deluxe version and may be found with one wide drawer, two side by side drawers, a combination of two side by side drawers over one wide drawer or without the drawer and the drawer base. There are also variants to this viewer that have a combination of features with Lee's second stereographoscope patent.

A Lee "Stereographoscope" with one storage drawer. Patent #177,527 issued May 16, 1876. This one used plain wood and was painted black. It has several flaws showing the lack of attention to detail and was likely a low priced model. It has no makers mark and may be found without the drawer and the drawer base.

Lee's second Stereographoscope patent, #252,321, was issued on January 17, 1882. This model will be found in a variety of configurations including those with one wide drawer, two side by side drawers, a combination of two side by side drawers over one wide drawer or without the drawer and the drawer base. There are two variants in the locking mechanism. The model shown above has a different mechanism to hold the slide at an angle and has no feet. The card holder is more elaborate and is adjustable for height for viewing postcards or CDV's. The ivory knobs are missing at the top of the rods. The entire viewer shows a great attention to detail.

A more common Lee Stereographoscope and probably the cheaper version, is shown above. Note the locking devise and the classic Lee feet. The card holder has a slot at the top for insertion of post cards or CDV's.

And shown here is a rare self storing viewer. It has a patent date stamped between the eye pieces. The lid has black lacquer inserts and the familiar locking devise. It surely was a deluxe viewer in it's day.

Revised 10-27-2007

Revised 5-3-2008