Charles Wheatstone's mirror stereoscope from 1838 is considered the earliest demonstration experiment with which the superimposition of two two-dimensional, stereoscopic images in the brain could be shown to create a three-dimensional spatial impression. It should not be underestimated how advanced the scientific discussion of vision was at the time the instrument was presented and that Wheatstone's apparatus was "only" one of the early materialisations to verify the state of research.

The replica in the HistoLab at the European University is the result of an experimental reconstruction by our former Master's student Eike Stehr. The original device at King's College London, which is attributed to its builder Charles Wheatstone, served as a model. Wheatstone's publications contain various sketches for use in the stereoscope as well as overview sketches of the superstructures he devised, which differ in design from our replica. As part of the historical reappraisal, however, Eike Stehr was able to trace the development from the design idea in the article to the materialisation that took place and to work through various, sometimes astonishing, details of the work with the stereoscope.