Tower Viewer

The studio shooter has once again hit the streets and I’m back from one of my childhood haunts, the Oceanside pier. Family business took me home to North San Diego County this morning and it turned into a fun walk down memory lane.   My subject today is a “Tower Viewer” which can be called by more than a few dozen alternate names from coin-operated binoculars to scenic magnifier. The company that makes them is the Tower Optical Company located in Norwalk, Connecticut. It’s an interesting looking device and its iconic design seems to have not changed since its 1933 beginnings. These ageless devices can be found all across United States and Canada at many tourist hot spots including the Empire State Building, Niagara Falls and the Golden State Bridge to name a few. I have found that being a photographer is a constant learning process and during my career I have run across these obscure bits of information as I go about researching assignments. Todays image was a perfect example of just one of those opportunities.