The Le Bengali stereoscopic viewer was manufactured in Lourdes, France,
probably in the 1950's. It is constructed from hard plastic. There is a
small window between the lenses where the user can view the slide title.
This viewer
is very rare and appears to have been sold exclusively by E. Quinault, 6
rue de l'Hôtel de Ville.
The box for the Le Bengali had a
hinged lid
 These operating instructions were
glued inside the lid of the box.
 A close-up view of the name plate
moulded in the viewer's body
 A leaflet included in the box
Many thanks to F.
Hemminghaus for gifting this viewer to me. Slides for the Le Bengali
The slide format used was quite unusual. It consisted of two pairs of
stereo viewers in an aluminium covered cardboard mount. These came in
boxed sets consisting of three slides, which gave six stereoscopic views
in all.
The slides for the Le Bengali were
very well made. The back was a sheet of thin aluminium which was stamped
out and the edges wrapped around the front of the cardboard slide frame.
This meant the slides were very rigid. Also, Kodachrome film was used
and so the images have lasted well, still retaining their bright
colours.
The lid from a box of Le Bengali
Slides
Many thanks to S.
Schoevaart for gifting these slides to me.
Use the Cross-Eyed method to view
this scene from Slide Lourdes Calvaire No. 6
3D Cross-eyed image of a Le Bengali Viewer
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