TRAILER: The 19th Century Craze for Stereoscopic Photography - Ian Christie

Stereoscopic photography rapidly became a worldwide craze after the Great Exhibition of 1851. Cheap viewers and mass-produced stereographs brought startlingly vivid images within reach of a mass audience, making this the form in which most people first encountered photography – a fact largely ignored in conventional photographic history.

Like the commercial suppliers of Magic Lantern slides, stereograph publishers offered systematic coverage of many subjects, even claiming that to ‘visit’ remote countries by stereo was better than risking the journey.

Monday 26th February, 6pm, Museum of London

[tinymetaltrees]

I do stereoscopic photography (the primitive difficult way, with one camera!). I can view my stereo photos because I can cross my eyes either way (convergent or divergent) and maintain focus on independent objects. This, however, seems to be a recessive trait because most people can’t do it, instead complaining of headaches if they try. It’s unfortunate that custom ViewMaster reels are so expensive, that being the easiest and most familiar way to share stereoscopic images with others. I find vintage stereo images fascinating so I’m really looking forward to this video!