Stereoview Photograph Collection
This collection of ninety-seven albumen double-image print stereoviews, a so-called “portrait for the stereoscope,” presents an impressive survey of the United States in the 1890s. Each stereoview presents two similar yet different images of various subjects which appear to date from the 1880s – 1890s.
Before the age of radio and television, the viewing of a stereoview or stereoscopic photograph (also called a stereograph) through a stereoscope or viewer was a popular form of home entertainment. A nineteenth century family would often own a large box of stereoviews, each depicting an exotic place or interesting subject. Stereoviews usually measured 3 ½ inches x 7 inches and were created by a special camera to give a three-dimensional effect when viewed.
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Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States
This stereograph features a portrait of President Woodrow Wilson, seated at a desk and holding papers in both hands. Wilson has one elbow resting on the edge of the desk and one elbow resting on the arm of the chair he is seated in. Framed art is hanging on the wall behind the desk. The publisher's name is printed on either side of the images and the title of the image and the copyright is printed on the lower right edge. The back of the stereograph provides a brief biography of President Wilson, including some quotes from him.
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Automobiles on the World's Finest Race Track, Ormond-Daytona Beach, Florida
This stereograph features multiple early 20th cars on a dirt racetrack with multiple people in and around the cars. The publisher's name is printed on either end of the images and the title of the images and the copyright are printed along the bottom right edge. The back of the stereograph provides a brief history of racing at the Ormond-Daytona Racetrack in Florida.
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Joint Session of the Senate and House of Representatives, Washington, D. C., February 27, 1902
This stereograph features members of the U. S. Senate and the U. S. House of Representatives gathered at the Capitol for a joint session. Several rows of men are seated in stadium style seating on the floor facing a platform where more men are seated. Spectators are seated in the balcony. The publisher's name is printed on either side of the images and the title and copyright are printed in the lower right edge. The back of the stereograph identifies the event as Secretary Hay's eulogy on President McKinley, February 27, 1902 and details who was present and how the event unfolded.
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A Half-mile of Pork in Armour's Packinghouse, Chicago, Illinois
This stereograph features rows of pigs hanging in the meat packing house. The publisher's name is printed at each end of the images and the title of the images and the copyright are printed along the bottom right edge. The back of the stereograph provides history and information on the meat packing industry in Chicago.
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Amid Majestic Heights and Chasms of Yosemite Valley, California
This stereograph features a man in a suit standing among the chasms and trees of Yosemite Valley, California. The man is facing a rock formation with a larger mountainous formation is behind him. A tree is to the right of him. The publisher's name is printed on either end of the images and the title of the image and copyright are printed along the bottom right edge. The back of the stereograph provides a brief history of the area and how granite is formed.
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A Monster Sequoia Just Felled in Grove at Converse Basin, California
This stereograph features two men at the base of a giant Sequoia tree that had been cut down. One man is sitting on the top log and another is standing with his back to the cut side of the tree. The publisher's name is printed on either end of the images and the title of the image and copyright are printed along the bottom right edge. The back of the stereo card provides information about Converse Basin and a brief history of Sequoia trees.
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"And the Palm Tree Nodded to the Mirror in the Jungle," Ormond, Florida
This stereograph features two alligators on the bank of a body of water with Palm trees that are bowed along the edge and reflected in the water. The title along the bottom right edge reads "And the palm tree nodded to the mirror in the jungle. Ormond, Florida." the publisher's name is printed on either end of the images. The back of the stereograph provides a brief history of the area of Florida depicted in the images and names the types of wildlife typically found there.
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A Pleasant Retreat from the World--Santa Barbara Mission Gardens, California
This stereograph features the trees, shrubs, flowers, plants, and water feature in the Santa Barbara Mission Gardens. The Mission building and its bell towers or cupolas are seen behind the garden. A man or priest in a dark robe is standing in the midst of the garden. The publisher's name is printed on either side of the images and the title of the images and the copyright is printed along the bottom right edge. The back of the stereograph provides a brief history of the mission and the area where it is located.
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A Rice-Raft with Plantation Hands Near Georgetown, South Carolina
This stereograph features a group of African American plantation worker standing on a hay filled rice-raft with trees seen behind them. The publisher's name is printed on either end of the images and the title of the images and copyright are along the bottom right edge. The back of the stereograph provides a history and use of the creek and land portrayed in the images.
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At Breakfast--Typical Desert Home of Navajo People, Southwest Arizona
This stereograph features a Navijo family seated on the ground outside of their home while eating a meal. A dog is laying on the ground beside a woman and a horse is standing behind the home. Their home, a hogan, appears to be built of wooden poles and sticks, grass and weeds. An empty expanse of desert is beyond the hogan. The publisher's name is printed on either end of the images. The title of the images and copyright are printed long the bottom right edge. The back of the stereograph provides some history and information on the Navajo nation and their homes.
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Balancing Rock, One of the Wonderful Landmarks in Garden of the Gods, Colorado
This stereograph features people standing on or near the ledges of a tall rock formation names Balanced Rock in the Garden of the Gods in Colorado. Two people are on horseback at the foot of Balancing Rock, a woman is standing on the ground near a raised part of the rock. A woman is standing on the bottom ledge and two men are standing on the top two ledges of the rock. Trees and bushes are behind and beside the rock. The publisher's name is printed at either end of the images and the title of the images and the copyright are printed along the bottom right edge. The back of the stereograph provides information about Balanced Rock.
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Beside the Colorado, Looking East up to Zoroaster Tower, Grand Canyon, Arizona
This stereograph features three people seated on the rocks along the edge of the Colorado River with a view of the Zoroaster Temple in view. The publisher's name is printed on either end of the images and the title and copyright are printed along the bottom right edge. The back of the stereograph provides some information and history on the location.
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Bridge Over the Mississippi River, St. Louis, Missouri
This stereograph features a large bridge over the Mississippi River from Illinois to Missouri. A steamboat can be seen on the water heading beneath the bridge. The title along the bottom right edge proclaims the bridge to be a "$10,000,000 bridge (west)over the Mississippi at St. Louis, Missouri." The publisher's name is printed on either end of the images. The back of the stereograph provides a brief history of the bridge.
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Brilliant Luna Park at Night, Coney Island, New York's Great Pleasure Resort
This stereograph features a group of buildings that are lit up by fairy lights along the edges and windows. The publisher's name is printed at either end of the images and the title of the images and the copyright are printed along the bottom right edge. The back of the stereograph provides some information and history about the Coney Island resort.
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Brooklyn Bridge, West Northwest from Brooklyn Toward Manhattan, New York City
This stereograph features a view of the Brooklyn Bridge with a barge passing beneath it and the New York City skyline beyond the bridge. The publisher's name is printed at each of the images and the title of the images and the copyright are printed along the bottom right edge. The back of the stereograph provides information on the city and a brief history the bridge.
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Bunker Hill Monument, Boston, Massachusetts
This stereograph features the Bunker Hill Monument, a pyramidion or obelisk, with buildings behind it. Tree branches are seen "framing" the monument in the images. The publisher's name is printed at each of the images and the title of the images and the copyright are printed along the bottom right edge. The back of the stereograph provides a brief history of the Revolutionary Battle of Bunker Hill for which the monument pictured was built.
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Castle Garden, Aquarium and Liberty Statue in Harbor, Southwest, New York City
This stereograph features the Castle Garden and Aquarium at the New York Harbor with the Statue of Liberty in the distance. Ships and boats are seen in the water at the harbor. The publisher's name is printed at each of the images and the title of the images and the copyright are printed along the bottom right edge. The back of the stereograph provides geography and geology of the islands and buildings as well as history and biography of the location.
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Cliff Dwellings of Prehistoric Man East, Mesa Verde, National Park, Colorado
This stereograph features a view of the prehistoric cave dwellings of the Pueblo people in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Trees and sky can be seen beyond the cliffs and a young boy is seen in the lower right corner of the images, seated on the edge of cliff overlooking the dwellings. The publisher's name is printed at either end of the images and the title of the images and the copyright is located along the bottom right edge.
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Cliff House and Seal Rocks, West Northwest from the Seabeach, San Francisco, California
This stereograph features a group of women seated on the rocks at a beach with men and horse and wagons on the sandy portion of the beach. A large, Victorian house, an eight-story tall castle-like structure with turrets, decorative spires, fanciful roof dormers and an observation tower, known as Cliff House, is seen on the edge of the bluffs behind the people. The publisher's name is printed on either end of the images and the title of the image and copyright are printed along the bottom right edge. The back of the stereograph provides a brief history of the beach, the house, and bluffs pictured.
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Coconut Trees in the White Sands at Palm Beach, Florida
This stereograph features a line of full coconut trees growing from the white sands at Palm Beach, Florida. The publisher's name is printed on either end of the images and the title of the images and the copyright are printed along the bottom right edge. The back of the stereograph provides a brief description of the Palm Beach area and the biology of the coconut trees.
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Confederate Signal Station at Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, Tennessee
This stereograph features a man standing on top of the rock formation known as Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The man is wearing a dark suit and hat. Other people can be seen on the ground below the rock formation. The back of the stereograph provides a brief history of the area where Lookout Mountain is located and it's place in Civil War history.
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Cotton is King: A Plantation Scene with Pickers at Work, Georgia
This stereograph features several African Americans picking cotton in a large cotton field. A large basket holding cotton is the lower left foreground and one man in the upper left of the images is carrying a large basket of cotton over his shoulders. The publisher's name is printed on either end of the images and the title of the image and the copyright are printed along the bottom right edge. The back of the stereograph provides a brief history of the cotton industry.
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Dining in the Palatial Banquet Hall of Hotel Astor, New York
This stereograph features a room crowded with people seated at tables. Crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling and the walls of the room are adorned with ornate moldings. The people seated at the tables are all dressed in formalwear. The publisher's name is printed at either end of the images and the title of the images and the copyright are printed along the bottom right edge.
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Diplomatic Room in State Department Where Conferences Are Held, Washington, D. C.
This stereograph features a long, slightly narrow room filled with tables surrounded by chairs, chandeliers, and art. A row of windows is on the wall to the left. The room is identified as a conference room in the State Department in Washington, D.C. The publisher's name is printed on either end of the images and the title of the images and the copyright are printed in the lower right edge.
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Down the River and Canyon, Northeast form Brink of Lower Falls, Yellowstone Park
This stereograph features a river cutting through a canyon from Lower Falls at Yellowstone National Park. Trees are seen dotting the rocks and cloudy sky looms over the scene. The publisher's name is printed on either end of the images and the title of the images and the copyright are printed along the bottom right edge. The back of the stereograph provides some geographical and geological information about the area.