Joseph L. Bates

Joseph L. Bates (1806 or 1807 – March 2, 1886) was an American merchant and manufacturer based in Boston specializing in musical instruments, umbrellas, stereoscopic photographs and viewers, and fancy goods. Despite being a dealer of stereographic photographs, he was likely not a photographer himself.

Career Bates began his business in 1828 as a manufacturer of musical instruments at 44 Market St., Boston. The following year he moved to 6 Court Street, by which time he had expanded into the manufacture and repair of umbrellas and parasols.

He published and sold stereoscopic photographs of Boston and New England scenery, landscapes, and buildings. Many are included in the extensive Getty Center photography collection, located in Los Angeles, California.

Holmes and Bates stereoscope In 1861, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. invented the first handheld stereoscope. Choosing not to patent it, Bates manufactured and sold his design.