Friday, September 26, 2025

Postmortem Photo of Frederick William IV of Prussia Lying in His Casket (1861)

 

Postmortem photo of the deceased Frederick William IV of Prussia lying in his casket, 1861. This version of the photo was published as a non-stereoscopic stereoview.

Source: Rijksmuseum.

Thursday, September 25, 2025

Photo of a Group of French Army Zouave Soldiers in Posing In a Camp in Palestro, Italy, During the Second Italian War of Independence (1859)


Photo of a group of French Army Zouave soldiers posing in a camp in Palestro, Italy, during the Second Italian War of Independence, 1859. They were probably involved in fighting in the Battle of Palestro against Austrian troops on May 30-31, 1859. Originally published as a stereoview.

Source: Rijksmuseum.

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Hand-Colored Photo of Zombie Crusader Knight Alonzo the Brave Interrupting the Wedding of Imogene and the Baron in a Church Setting (1860)

 

Hand-colored photo of undead Crusader knight Alonzo the Brave interrupting the wedding of Imogene and the Baron in a church setting, c. 1855-1860. A scene from the 1796 ballad Alonzo the Brave and Fair Imogene by Matthew Gregory Lewis. Taken by photographer Alfred Silvester and originally published as a stereoview. Alonzo is described as a skeletal figure in the ballad, but in this stereoview version, he might be better described as probably the earliest photographed depiction of a zombie.

Source: Rijksmuseum.

Saturday, September 13, 2025

Photo of a Patriotic Soda Water Stand at the US Sanitary Commission's Metropolitan Fair in New York City During the American Civil War (1864)


Photo of a patriotic soda water stand at the US Sanitary Commission's Metropolitan Fair in New York City, New York, during the American Civil War, April 1864. Flavors on their menu include sarsaparilla and ginger. Originally published as a stereoview.

Source: Library of Congress.

Saturday, September 6, 2025

Daguerreotype View of A Busy Boulevard Des Italiens Decorated For a State Visit by Queen Victoria in Paris, France (1855)

 

 

Daguerreotype view of a busy Boulevard des Italiens decorated for a state visit by Queen Victoria in Paris, France, August 1855. The moving pedestrians and vehicles are for the most part so sharp that this would probably have been deemed to be an "instantaneous" photo by stereocard publishers 4-5 years later. Originally taken as a stereoscopic daguerreotype.

Source: J. Paul Getty Museum.

Friday, September 5, 2025

Photo of a Group of Fishermen Posing With Family Members on a Beach Possibly in Woods Hole, Massachusetts (1880s)

 
Photo of a group of fishermen and/or lobstermen posing with family members, boats, and lobster traps on a beach possibly in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, c. 1880s. From a scan of the original glass negative.

Source: Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.