The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by George G. Morgan.
Our ancestors sought entertainment in many ways, depending on the time period and their location. They attended fairs and carnivals and they flocked to see traveling shows of many types. They may have participated in singing groups and choirs, or they may have played an instrument. A piano was an exceptionally popular item to have in a home, and people rushed to buy sheet music for the latest songs. Families spent leisure time singing around the piano or home organ. Some families had a more economical accordion instead, and that instrument enjoyed such nicknames as “squeezebox” or “kitchen piano.” Attending musical recitals was a popular social and cultural activity.
Photography took the world by storm in the 1830s and later. The stereoscope was introduced in the 1850s. It was a viewer that was used to view stereoscopic cards. The photos or images on these cards were slightly different and gave the user a sense of a three-dimensional image. Literally tens of thousands of stereoscopic cards were produced for eager consumers. People could now take armchair tours of the world, enjoy stories and comedies, and see photographs or artistic renderings of famous people and places. The stereographic viewer in its time can be compared with the radio and television in later times.
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