View-Master Was a Kodachrome Stereo Photography System, Not a Toy

The View-Master launched in 1939 as a stereo photography viewer using Kodachrome film reels, sold through photography shops and gift stores alongside scenic postcards. Sawyer's, a Portland photo-finishing company, developed it with photographer William Gruber after he built a homemade stereo rig using the then-new Kodachrome film stock.