Daguerreotype to Digital

A Brief History of the Photographic Process

Stereoview: 19th Century 3D
Period of Use: 1851 - 1940

Example of stereoview

The stereoview is a double photograph, or printed image, paired in such a manner that when viewed with a stereoscope it appears as a three dimensional or solid image.

The earliest stereoviews were daguerreotypes, and the rarest tintypes. The color and thickness of a mount, and the printing used for the labels, can provide a great deal of information about a stereoview.

Example of stereoview

Stereoviews were mass produced in a variety of processes

  • daguerreotype 1849 - 1860
  • ambrotype 1854 - 1860
  • tintype 1860 - 1875
  • flat cards 1852 - 1870
  • curved cards 1879 - 1940

Prints from Stereoviews

African American family and their log cabin Stereoview of alligator hunting party