3-D Images--Stereograph Cards

Colossal hand and torch "Liberty" (1876) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

The historical image above is a stereograph which shows the torch and part of the arm of the Statue of Liberty, on display at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. An information booth is at base of arm and two persons are seen at the railing below the flame of the torch. Stereographs consist of two photographic images of the same object taken at slightly different angles, which when viewed together, produce the illusion of a single three-dimensional image. They are usually usually viewed through a device called a stereoscope. 

Reproduction Holmes Stereoscope (Photo by Davepape source )

People were fascinated by these early 3D images, and the success of the stereoscope led to the development of later devices such as the View Master, introduced in 1939, and the production of 3D films, which first became popular in the 1950s. Stereograph cards were produced from the 1850s to the 1940s, and featured various subjects. Many featured staged scenes of everyday living, including leisure, celebrations, family life, humorous interactions and  romantic interludes. Other popular topics included portraits of presidents and celebrities, artistic images, the natural world, business and industry, interesting people and places, news and human interest stories and military life.

The Stereograph As An Educator (1901) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Most stereograph images are black and white or sepia toned, but some were hand-colored. The images presented here are from the collections of the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library. Some portray both images; others show only the right or left photo. Stereographs, like other photographs, preserve important historical images, and also offer a glimpse into many aspects of life in years gone by.

Everyday Images

Reading Together (Between 1867 and 1873) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

I'd Rather Sleep Than Eat (1905) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

My Protector (1906) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Bliss Disturbed (1880) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

The Ballroom--Salute Partners (1902)

A Ball-Room Scene In Colonial Days--Our Great-Grand-Parents Were Young Once Too (1900) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

A Glance Through the News (1906) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Eavesdroppers (1906) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Couple In Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, PA (Between 1870 and 1890) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Dressing the Bride (1907) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

The Wedding Dance (1907) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

  Presidents and Celebrities

President Roosevelt Ready To Enter Yellowstone Park (1903) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Ex-President Roosevelt in the Campaign of 1912 (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Christine Nilsson, Swedish Soprano (1874) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Artistic Images

 

The Girl In the Moon (1923) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Adam and Eve #15 (1923) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

 

The Birth Of A Pearl (1923) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

The Natural World

 

The Wawona tree, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite Valley, Cal. (1918) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Large Black Bear Getting Into Garbage Cans At Yellowstone National Park (1905)
(Courtesy of Library of Congress)

A Wilderness of Sand--Miles From Human Habitations, Painted Desert of Arizona (1903)
(Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Full Moon (1898)
(Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Business and Industry  

Steamer Loading Cotton, Mobile, Alabama (Undated) (Courtesy of The New York Public Library)

The Hot Dog Man, Luna Park, Coney Island, New York (1904) (Courtesy of Library of Congress) 

 

D. Appleton & Co., Stereoscopic Views and Implements Showroom, NY (1870s) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

 

Filling Our Orders, B.W. Kilburn & Co's Stereoscopic View Factory
Littleton, N.H. (1905) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Landing and Scaling Logs, Aroostook Woods, Maine (1903) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Inside A Knitting Factory, Leicester, England (1923) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Interesting People and Places

Avenue of Date Palms, Honolulu, HI (1920) (Courtesy of The New York Public Library)

 

Court C Temple of Luxor, Egypt (1908) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

 

Geisha Girls Dancing, Japan (1908) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Cowboys At Dinner, Arizona (1907) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Musicians, Russian Carnival, Petrograd (now St. Petersburg), Russia (1919) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Bird's-eye view of World's Fair grounds and Festival Hall, from the Buffalo Tower, St. Louis World's Fair (1904)  (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

The Fallen Monarch, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite Valley, CA (1897) (Courtesy of The New York Public Library)

Broadway, New York City, NY (1897) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

 News and Human Interest

Kearney St. and Hall of Justice After the Great Disaster, San Francisco (1906) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Emergency Hospital in Anthracite Coal Mines,  Meadville, PA, (between 1900 and 1920)
Summary: One man bandages head of injured man while another bandages his arm.
(Courtesy of Library of Congress)

  

Military Images

Civil War--"Destruction Of A Railroad Bridge" (Photo shows a smoldering railroad bridge on the North Ana River in Virginia. Confederate troops destroyed the bridge to slow down advancing Union soldiers)  (1864) (Published Later) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Destruction Of A Railroad Bridge (Back of Card) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

 

Civil War--"Hard Tack" (Photo shows Union Captain J. W. Forsyth, the Provost Marshall, sitting on a crate of hardtack, a cracker like bread served to soldiers, at Aquia Creek, Virginia. Crate says "50lbs. net. Army Bread from the Union Mechanic Baking Company, 45 Leonard St.") (February 1863) (Published Later) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Russo-Japanese War--Soldier's Barber Shop In Japanese Camp (1905) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)