Stereoscopic views, or stereo cards, consist of two photographs, taken from slightly different angles and mounted on card, that would appear three-dimensional when viewed through a stereoscope. Wildly popular in the mid 19th and early 20th centuries, they were an early mass medium that served a variety of social functions — ideological, aesthetic, or even spiritual — that have, thus far, received little scholarly attention.
This virtual exhibit is an in-depth exploration of 6 of the 108 stereocards held in the W.D. Jordan Library at Queen’s University. Each section contains images of the stereocard’s front and back, socio-historical context, and an animated GIF that approximates the 3D effect of the stereoscope.
See the first slide
Learn more about stereo cards »
Learn more about the project’s features »