CARD

When viewed through a stereoscope the two images on the stereograph merge, creating a seemingly three-dimensional image. Stereographs were first made in the 1850 and are still made today. They were most popular between 1870 and 1920. By 1860 both amateur photographers and publishing firms were making stereographs. The major stereo publishers sold their views by mail order, door-to-door salesmen, and in stores. Stereographs were sold individually and in boxed sets. They were typically published with caption information printed under the image or on the back of the mount. The mount also provided information about the publisher, photographer, and sometimes the series or a list of views available from the photographer or publisher. People acquired stereographs of tourist sites they had visited, as well as exotic locales that they would only experience through the wonder of the stereoscope.