The View-Master ‘model E’ circa ’59

When it’s 8 knots outside with lightening strikes every two minutes, the power’s off, no computer and you’re hunting inspiration what do you do? go old school, rummage through the attic and wonderous things will appear!

In this case probably one of the most amazingly colourful pieces of packaging I’ve ever seen encasing the ‘View-Master three dimensional Kodachrome picture viewer’. A thing of beauty with authentic 1955 Winter sports at St.Moritz reel, and mock wood veneer plastic viewer that takes it’s styling from a 50’s radio.

These illustrations are just so simple but extremely artistic with it’s use of shapes, colour and typography, capturing a real cultural hunger of the period when travel holidays were in their infancy, Kodak colour film was getting in full swing and eyes were still being opened.

The photos through the viewer are absolutely stunning and even to this day bring the scenes to life with a real sense of dimension and yet after 74 years of production Kodak have just retired Kodachrome. Maybe when Digital has run it’s course we can get these tangible wonders back in demand, in the mean-time I’ll just have to suffice with the next reel on the ‘Natural Habitats of Africa’ 1948.