Course: Stereoscopy: An Introduction to Victorian Stereo Photography

Well done on reaching this stage! If you haven’t yet finished each activity then you can still go back and do so. For those who have completed each step so …

The writer and poet, Sir Walter Scott (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832) wrote romantic novels set in Scotland. This and the Royal Family’s summer holiday home at Balmoral …

In contrast to technology and industry, Victorian stereo photography also featured romantic scenes and monuments throughout the British Isles. One expert has estimated that more than 800 photographers in Britain …

Britain led the world in technology and engineering during Queen Victoria’s reign (1837-1901) and many of the greatest achievements were captured in stereo images. Manchester, seen here below, was just …

After his partnership with fellow photographer John Hay ended in 1855, George Washington Wilson continued with his portraiture business, photographing thousands of Aberdeen’s citizens as his studio became the most …

In this second of two short films, Professor Roger Taylor explains how George Washington Wilson exploited the press and the expanding rail network, producing souvenirs for a new wave of …

In the first of two short films, Professor Roger Taylor explores in more detail George Washington Wilson’s early life and career, explaining how his Royal connections and business acumen led …

Tissue stereographs, or French tissues as they are more commonly known, were a creative twist on the more typical albumen stereoviews. French tissue stereocard, transparency stereo-albumen prints from a wet …

Queen Victoria was an early admirer of photography and became the first monarch to have her life and family documented in this new medium. Carte-de-visite depicting Queen Victoria and Prince …

Victorian stereocards were also used as a vehicle for humour and occasional ridicule. Ladies’ outlandish fashions were prime targets for photographers and the public enjoyed the following selection of images …

The 1857 stereocard ‘Broken Vows’ by James Elliott was inspired by PH Calderon’s narrative painting of the same name. It illustrates the significant connection between Victorian painting and the new …

Sir David Brewster, who introduced his lenticular stereoscope to the public in 1851 and who corresponded with William Henry Fox Talbot to learn about the latter’s calotype process, first suggested …

In the final video recorded at the National Museums Collection Centre in Edinburgh, on 21 October 2015, photo historian Denis Pellerin chooses intriguing images from the Howarth-Loomes Collection, including ‘ghosts’ …

TR Williams’s earliest work involved making daguerreotype and wet collodion stereos of intricately arranged animals, fruits, vegetables, skulls, books and other items. Still life subjects enabled early stereo photographers to …

In this second short video, Dr Brian May CBE, Director of The London Stereoscopic Company, looks in more detail at the pioneering work of TR Williams. Feel free to comment …