Stereo Daguerreotypes

As you might know, sterograph cards were a hugely popular thing in the later 19th and early 20th centuries. These cards use two photographs taken from slightly different angles to produce a single image with a 3-d appearance, when viewed through a viewer (or by someone who is good at Magic Eye). However, the concept of stereo photographs was around from the very beginning. Daguerreotypes are quite interesting to view in stereo-- they are a) very very detailed, so the 3-D effect is especially profound, and b) essentially on mirrors, so extra work is needed to get a proper view. Some places, such as the studio of Southworth and Hawes, created whole installations where daguerreotypes could be viewed in stereo. In the mid 1850s J. F. Mascher invented a special type of daguerreotype case that could be folded out into a viewer (though, speaking from experience, it still takes a bit of fiddling to get the right angle of light). These days, the 3-D stereo effect is also often hard to get due to deterioration; one side may be more tarnish or dirty than the other, ruining the effect. Still though, they look neat!

(By the way, one of the most common uses of the stereo daguerreotype was for pornography. Unfortunately I've yet to find a public collection with any of these online... but thought you'd like to know!)

Library of Congress

Portrait of an unidentified woman. Source

Harvard University, Houghton Library

Tinted portrait of an unidentified man. Source

Library of Congress

Bust of William Robert Grant. Source

Library of Congress

Portrait of Emlen Cresson and his son Willie Prichett Cresson, 1858 (Mascher case). Source

Harvard Libraries, Houghton Library

A marble statue. Source

Harvard Libraries, Houghton Library

Tinted stereoview of an unidentified woman. Source

Library of Congress

Portrait of an unidentified woman. Source

Library of Congress

Portrait of William Y. McAllister, 1850-1860. Source

Library of Congress

View of an unidentified French city. Source

Harvard Libraries, Houghton Library

Portrait of an unidentified woman. Source

Library of Congress

Portrait of Willliam Y. McAllister with his wife, 1850-1860. Source

Harvard Libraries, Houghton Library

Portrait of a woman knitting. Source

Library of Congress

Crystal Palace, London, 1851-1860. Source

Harvard Libraries, Houghton Library

An exhibition gallery at the Crystal Palace, 1854. Source

Harvard Libraries, Houghton Library

A statue at the Crystal Palace, 1854. Source

Library of Congress

Portrait of an unidentified woman, ca. 1857 (Mascher case). Source

Library of Congress

Portrait of John and Fanny Stevenson. Source

Library of Congress

Portrait of Agnes Y. McAllister, 1853. Source

Harvard Libraries, Houghton Library

Tinted portrait of an unidentified woman. Source