Metroscopix 3D glasses

To experience the illusion of viewing three-dimensional images, 1950s cinema audiences were required to wear cardboard and cellophane glasses with one blue and one red lens like this set from 1952. Metroscopix was the system used by film studio MGM to produce 3D films. The text on this pair of glasses reads, 'Keep these for viewing Metroscopix', along with a promo for ETA Peanut Butter.

Bwana Devil (Arch Oboler, 1952) is generally acknowledged as spearheading the initial craze for 3D movies. In the year following its release, around 60 films were shot in 3D. But 3D quickly proved something of a fad, with audiences complaining of eye strain and headaches. That hasn’t stopped this irresistible technology from periodically making a comeback, with a mainstream resurgence this century in blockbusters like Avatar (James Cameron, 2009), Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, 2013) and Avatar: The Way of Water (James Cameron, 2022).