Almost
the first use to which stereoscopic photography was put was recording museum
works of art. Fine photographers, for example Roger Fenton, William England,
Charles E. Goodman and T.R. Williams, were employed by the British Museum
and others to provide a three dimensional record of their exhibits. Therefore
most of the views on these pages date from the 1850s and are of very high
quality as regards lighting, presentation and processing.
Many
of the works illustrate the nude female form - the only socially acceptable
method of viewing in Victorian times. This had unfortunate repercussions
in the case of John Ruskin who, having been brought up on classical statuary,
was horrified on his wedding night to discover that his wife, on disrobing,
sported hair on places other than her head. He never consummated his marriage
to Effie Gray and, when she sought an annulment, forced her to undergo
a humiliating intimate medical examination before a number of doctors to
prove her case. She found solace in the arms of the artist Millais, married
him and bore him eight children, so they definately consummated theirs!
Please
note: There are many grey and blue mount views dating from the 1850s in
these pages. Unlike most views from this period, the majority are in near
perfect condition. The reason for this is simple - kids had no interest
in them!
Fisher, New York. 'Exposition
Universelle de 1867. Galerie des Beaux-Arts. Section Italienne'.
Condition. There is a clever
bit of repair to the right of the left image. My nasty suspicious mind
thinks this was a crack in the original neg. as it extends exactly to the
bottom of the caption and not to the bottom of the mount; the view has
probably been pirated and a good attempt to hide the original crack made
on the print. A lot of work for not a lot of result as they would have
had to do it on every print but interesting as I have never seen it before.
Also a slight paper deposit on the plinth in the right image.
Order #131.
Price $8.
Fisher, New York. 'Exposition
Universelle de 1867. Galerie des Beaux-Arts. Section Italienne'.
Condition 10.
Order #132.
Price $10.
'Struggle for the Heart by
Fiaminga'.
Condition. Very slight crease
in center.
Order #137.
Price $8.
Untitled blue mount version
of Struggle for the Heart by Fiaminga.
Condition 10.
Order #138.
Price $12.
Untitled version of Struggle
for the Heart by Fiaminga from a different angle.
Condition 8.
Order #139.
Price $8.
'Puck. From the original model
in the Exhibition. 1851'.
Condition 8.
Order #140.
Price $10.
'Burns Cottage Children'. London
Stereo blindstamp. Late 1850s version.
Condition 8.
Order #141.
Price $8.
'Cottage Children'. London
Stereo blindstamp. Earlier version c. 1857.
Condition 8.
Order #142.
Price $8.
'Reflection'.
Condition 8.
Order #143.
Price $8.
'Wellington'.
Condition 8.
Order #150.
Price $10.
'Wellington'. More contrast
on this one.
Condition 8.
Order #6301.
Price $12.
1850s view of a bust of Wellington.
Original price of 1/6d on the back. Using the National Archives calculator
(which is useful) this was £4.43 or US$ 5.80 equivalent in 1860.
Views were expensive and not for ordinary people at this time and only
became a mass product much later.
Condition 8.
Order #6303.
Price $8.
Untitled. Is this Cicero?
Condition. Difference in images
views out.
Order #6304.
Price $6.
'The Rev. C.H. Spurgeon'. Spurgeon
was an American evangelical preacher who drew huge crowds to his sermons
in Europe. Click HERE
for more information.
Condition. Difference in images
views out.
Order #6305.
Price $12.
'General Sir H. Havelock C.B.'.
Who? I hear you ask. Click HERE
to be enlightened.
Condition 7.
Order #6306.
Price $8.
'Havelock'. With poem lamenting
his death. He died in 1857 so that fits in with the date of the view. Amazing
how many views of this period that can actually be dated are from 1857/58.
Condition 8/9.
Order #6307.
Price $10.
Untitled.
Condition 8.
Order #6311.
Price $8.
'Paul and Virginia'. By Cumberworth.
Closer view.
Condition 9.
Order #6313.
Price $8.
'Italian Tambourine Girl'.
London Stereoscopic blindstamp.
Condition 8.
Order #6314.
Price $8.
'Diana'.
Condition. Light surface marks.
Order #6320.
Price $6.
Untitled.
Condition 9.
Order #6321.
Price $5.
'Miss Florence Nightingale,
by T. Phyffers'. Plus Lady of the Lamp poem by Longfellow. London Stereoscopic
blindstamp.
Condition 9.
Order #6323.
Price $12.
'Flora and Pomona'.
Condition 7.
Order #6326.
Price $6.
'Naomi and her daughters in
law'.
Condition 6.
Order #6328.
Price $3.
Untitled.
Condition. Surface scratches.
Order #6332.
Price $3.
Untitled version of Dorothea
by Bell.
Condition. Difference in images
views out.
Order #6334.
Price $6.
'Venus'. Later view.
Condition 7.
Order #6336.
Price $4.
Untitled - is this Rebecca
at the well?
Condition 8/9.
Order #6337.
Price $8.
'Pysche Veiled'.
Condition 8.
Order #6338.
Price $8.
Goodman. 'Psyche'.
Condition 9.
Order #6339.
Price $15.
'Sea Nymph'.
Condition 8.
Order #6341.
Price $8.
Untitled.
Condition 7.
Order #6342.
Price $8.
Untitled.
Condition 8.
Order #6345.
Price $8.
'Burns Highland Mary'.
Condition 7.
Order #6346.
Price $6.
Untitled.
Condition. Slight mount split
thru center.
Order #6352.
Price $5.
'Golden Age by Beattie'.
Condition. Stains on left
image.
Order #6356.
Price $2.
Untitled view of 'Golden Age'.
Condition. Very slight production
crease in right image.
Order #6357.
Price $8.
London Stereoscopic blindstamp.
'The Young Naturalist'.
Condition 8.
Order #6358.
Price $8.
Kilburn. 'Marguerite'.
Condition 8.
Order #6360.
Price $8.
P. Semplicini.
Condition. Mount slightly
split thru center, not affecting images.
Order #6361.
Price $3.
P. Semplicini.on
Condition. Mount slightly
split thru center, not affecting images. Black processing spots.
Order #6362.
Price $3.
The last view on this page should probably be in the Natural History section but as it is a museum scene it ended up here. A thin mount silver gelatin early 20th century view in the Countryside Stereograph, Natural History Museum Series, with a descriptive text on the back.
'No 14. Northern rorqual'.
Condition 9.
Order #6365.
Price $4.
