David White 10411947

History

The David White Company, founded in Milwaukee and specializing in precision optical and survey instruments, entered the consumer camera market with the Stereo Realist in 1947. The timing was deliberate: veterans returning from World War II had encountered 3D photography through military reconnaissance and education media, and popular interest in stereo imagery was rising. The Realist arrived as the leading American stereo product at precisely the moment demand was building.

The 5-perforation format - advancing the film five sprocket holes between stereo pairs rather than the eight used for standard 35mm frames - was a David White design choice that became the industry standard by sheer market adoption. When Kodak introduced its Stereo Camera in 1954, Revere its Model 33, and a succession of German manufacturers their export stereo models, all used the 5-perforation Realist-compatible spacing rather than develop competing formats.

The f/3.5 Anastigmat on the 1041 was a capable if modest optical formula. David White later introduced the Model 1042 with f/2 David White Anastigmat lenses, commanding a significant price premium. The stereo photography market peaked in the early-to-mid 1950s and began contracting thereafter; David White continued producing Realist-format cameras and accessories, including the Realist Stereo Viewer and dedicated projector, through the 1960s and into the early 1970s.

Why It Matters

The Stereo Realist 1041 holds a foundational position in the history of amateur stereo photography. More than any other single product, it defined what "35mm stereo" meant for a generation of photographers and drove a decade-long market in compatible cameras, slide mounts, viewers, and projectors from multiple manufacturers across two continents. The Realist format remains the dominant standard for vintage stereo 35mm collecting today.

Notable cultural reach: the stereo photography boom of the early 1950s was heavily promoted through enthusiast clubs, notably the National Stereoscopic Association, whose members shot Realist-format slides at social, travel, and documentary subjects. The format captured an important cross-section of mid-century American life in a medium that now looks distinctly different from the flat 35mm aesthetic. The camera's association with this specific social moment gives it documentary significance beyond its optical capabilities.

The 1041's Wollensak shutter - a reliable American-made central leaf unit - has a top speed of only 1/150s, a limitation that German competitors including the Iloca Stereo Rapid and Edixa Stereo explicitly marketed against with their 1/300s Prontor-SVS shutters. This was the primary technical criticism of the Realist line throughout its production life.

Lenses & Accessories

Fixed twin-lens design; no interchangeable optics. The Realist format defines its own accessory ecosystem, which became the most extensive of any 35mm stereo standard:

• Slide mounts. Realist-format 5-perforation cardboard and plastic slide mounts, produced by David White and third parties, remain available new and used.
• Realist Stereo Viewer. The dedicated lighted desktop viewer was sold alongside the camera and is the primary viewing method for projected Realist slides. Many examples survive.
• Projectors. TDC and Sawyers produced Realist-format stereo projectors; the Stereomat and similar units accept Realist-mount slides directly.
• Close-up lenses. A dedicated close-up lens set in a Realist-specific mount was available from David White; generic clip-on supplementary lenses from other makers also fit.
• Flash. X-sync accommodates electronic flash; the Realist flash bracket was a dedicated accessory.
• Processing. Standard 35mm processing; mounting into Realist-format mounts is a separate step, done by hand or with dedicated mounting equipment.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• Adopted widely by National Stereoscopic Association members throughout the 1950s; the association's archives contain extensive Realist-format work documenting mid-century American domestic and travel subjects.
• The camera appeared in popular photography magazines and general-interest publications throughout the early 1950s stereo photography media moment.
• Realist-format compatibility was cited by name in the marketing materials of competing cameras from Kodak, Revere, Iloca, Wirgin, and others - an unusual acknowledgment of a competitor's format standard.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Stereo Realist - model history, variant documentation, and format reference
• stereoscopy.com Realist entry - collector context and accessory documentation