An Stereograph was a kind of 3D photography.  Why does VR get its hooks into our psyche? What’s so intense about 3-D? That’s a question people pondered back in the mid-19th century, when they peered into an exotic new tool for summoning virtual worlds: the stereoscope.( Smithsonian article0see link)

In 1838, Ch. Wheatstone described in a paper, an illusion he had discovered. Drawing  two pictures of something from two different perspectives, and then viewing  each of them with a different eye, the brain would assemble them in a 3 dimensional view. He demonstrated the effect with a device , a viewer that sent to each eye a unique image and that was the world’s first stereoscope.

We can say the stereograph allowed people 150 years ago to enjoyi virtual reality experiences and transformed science as the technique gave Astronomers the possibility to see new lunar features..

 The Underwood & Underwood company wrote in its teacher manual, "The stereograph is a superior kind of text, and a good teacher will not have so much trust in mere print,” .

"The World Visualized for the Classroom'  persuaded teachers , and millions of students began using stereoscopes....

The first VRS..from 150 years ago.
 

Stereograph as an Educator. An anaglyph (viewable in 3D!) of a woman looking through a stereoscope.

http://archive.cnx.org/resources/8677ac9f31315c06e2449db85b4f85a45fcc7344/Graphic2.jpg

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/sterographs-original-virtual-reality-180964771/