Lake Superior Scenery

MediumStereograph mounted on card

Dimensions3 1/2 × 7 in. (8.9 × 17.8 cm)

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineGift of Mary Ellen Lynch Brown. In the Farm House Museum Collection, Farm House Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object number80.7.2g

Status

On view

Collections

Works of Art on Paper & Photography

CultureAmerican

Label TextOriginally invented in the 1830s, the stereograph saw an explosion in popularity during the Victorian Era for both entertainment and education. By placing two nearly identical photographs side by side and viewing them through a stereoscopic device, the images combined to create a 3D illusion. Although methods to create the 3D visuals have changed over time, the idea still remains incredibly popular through products such as the View-Master™. With the growing accessibility of photography in the 19th century, stereographic images came to depict a wide range of subjects. In the United States, many of these images featured nationally recognizable events and landmarks such as the 1905 inauguration of President Theodore Roosevelt, the awe-inspiring Grand Canyon, the shores of Lake Superior, the solemn tomb of Abraham Lincoln, the cracked Liberty Bell, or the evericonic Brooklyn Bridge. However, not all stereographs focused on well-known scenes. Many captured lesserknown locations or regional subjects, offering viewers a glimpse into unfamiliar corners of the country and broadening the visual horizons of the average American. An example features photographs, part of a series taken in May 1883, documenting the aftermath of a brief but devastating tornado in Liter (now Literbury), Illinois. https://www.friendsofdalnavert.ca/everything-in-its-place/stereoscope#:~:text=%E2%80%94in%20front%20of%20your%20 eyes%20are%20two,slide%20onto%20which%20is%20clipped%20a%20stereograph. https://sites.rootsweb.com/~ilmaga/newspapers/cyclone.html

Period19th century

Locations