Portrait of a group posing in front of a camera obscura building at the National Military Home in Dayton, Ohio, c. 1870-1890. Originally published as a stereoview with the title "Camera Obscura and Pump House."
The place for the most fascinating photographs from history specializing in animating stereoscopic images.
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Monday, March 3, 2025
Photo of a Mill or Factory Building, Location Unknown (1860)
View probably showing an old mill or factory building taken somewhere in the Northeastern United States, c. 1860. Originally published as a stereoview.
Saturday, March 1, 2025
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Photo of a Judge and Other Courthouse Workers Posing in a Courtroom Probably in Sandusky, Ohio (1870's)
Portrait of a judge and other courthouse workers posing in a courtroom probably in Sandusky, Ohio, c. 1870s. Taken by photographer A. C. Platt and originally published as a stereoview.
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Occupational Photo of a Gardener Posing With a Scythe in a Garden Somewhere in France (1860)
Portrait of a gardener posing with a scythe taken in a garden somewhere in France, c. 1860. Originally published as a stereoview in a series called "Epreuve a Mouvement" or "Motion Test."
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Early Bird's Eye View Photo of Houses and Businesses in Sioux City, Iowa (1860's)
View of houses and businesses in Sioux City, Iowa, c. 1860s. Taken by photographer Byron Gurnsey and originally published as a stereoview.
Monday, February 24, 2025
Photo of an Unidentified Hallway in the US Capitol Building in Washington DC (1860's)
"Corridor of Capitol, Washington, USA." View of an unidentified hallway in the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., c. 1860s. Originally published as a stereoview.
Saturday, February 22, 2025
Photo of a Steamboat Named Yellowstone Possibly Photographed on the Missouri River Near Sioux City, Iowa (1860's)
View of a steamboat named Yellowstone possibly photographed on the Missouri River near Sioux City, Iowa, c. 1865-1870. Taken by photographer Byron H. Gurnsey and originally published as a stereoview. Other stereoviews in the Library of Congress' collection by Gurnsey with the same mount were taken in and around Fort Berthold in Dakota Territory.
Friday, February 21, 2025
Photo Taken From the Third Floor of the Logan House Hotel in Altoona, Pennsylvania (1860)
View taken from the third floor of the Logan House Hotel showing the town of Altoona, Pennsylvania, c. 1860. Taken by Amateur Photographic Exchange Club member Joseph Miller Wilson and originally published as a stereoview.
Thursday, February 20, 2025
Photo of a Road Near Flying Hills, Pennsylvania (1870's)
View of a road near Flying Hills, Pennsylvania, c. 1870s. Taken by photographer James Cremer and originally published as a stereoview. What is probably Cremer's photography wagon is visible on the left hand side of the road. A bucket is visible next to the right rear wheel.
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Photo of a Man Posing at the Door of the Weeping Willow Schoolhouse in Chester County, Pennsylvania (1860)
Portrait of a man posing at the door of the Weeping Willow schoolhouse in Chester County, Pennsylvania, c. 1860. The small building looks like it is probably a one-room schoolhouse. Attributed to Amateur Photographic Exchange Club member Joseph Miller Wilson and originally published as a stereoview.
Monday, February 17, 2025
Photo of Two Women Posing in a Horse-Drawn Carriage on the Grounds of Oakland Hall in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania (1860's)
Portrait of two women posing in a horse-drawn carriage on the grounds of Oakland Hall in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, c. 1860s. Probably taken by an amateur photographer and originally published as a stereoview.
Saturday, February 15, 2025
Photo of Saul Davis' Table Rock Hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada (1860)
Portrait of a group posing in front of Saul Davis' Table Rock Hotel and museum in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, c. 1860. Taken by photographer George Stacy and originally published as a stereoview.
Photo of Three Buglers of the Utica Citizens Corps Posing in Front of a Tent in Camp Greenman Near Saratoga Springs, New York (1869)
Portrait of three buglers of the Utica Citizens Corps posing in front of a tent in Camp Greenman near Saratoga Springs, New York, 1869. Taken by Deloss Barnum and originally published as a stereoview.
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Photo of the Office of Missouri Pacific Railroad Company in St. Louis, Missouri (1867)
Portrait of a group posing in front of the office of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company in St. Louis, Missouri, 1867. Taken by photographer Alexander Gardner and originally published as a stereoview.
Photo of Union General Philip Kearny's House, Known to Locals as Kearny Castle, in What Would Become Kearny, New Jersey (1862)
View of Union General Philip Kearny's house, known to locals as Kearny Castle, in what would become Kearny, New Jersey, 1862. The photo was taken a few months before Kearny was killed at the Battle of Chantilly in September 1862. The house was also known as Bellegrove Chateau and Kearny Manor and seems to have been demolished in 1927 after it was sold at auction in 1926. Taken by Amateur Photographic Exchange Club member William Mead and originally published as a stereoview.
Photo of Musicians of the Utica Citizens Corps Band at Camp Greenman Near Saratoga Springs, New York (1869)
Portrait of musicians of the Utica Citizens Corps band posing in front of tents at Camp Greenman near Saratoga Springs, New York, 1869. Taken by photographer Deloss Barnum and originally published as a stereoview.
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Photo of the Old War Department Building in Washington DC (1860s)
View of the War Department building in Washington, D.C., c. 1860s. Originally published as a stereoview by D. Appleton & Company.
Sunday, February 9, 2025
Early Photo of the US Treasury Building in Washington DC (1856)
View of the Treasury Building in Washington, D.C., taken at 4:30 PM on October 14, 1856. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.
Engraving of a Lost Daguerreotype of US Army Brigadier General John Wool Taken by Jeremiah Gurney (1855)
Engraving of a lost daguerreotype of Brigadier General John Wool taken by Jeremiah Gurney, 1855. Originally published on the cover of the December 29 issue of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper in 1855.
Source: Archive.org.
Friday, February 7, 2025
Thursday, February 6, 2025
Photo of a Large House or Mill Possibly Along Rock Creek in Washington DC (1850s)
View of a large house or mill possibly along Rock Creek in Washington, D.C., c. 1855-1860. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale. An outbuilding is prominently visible at center left.
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Engraving of a Lost Mathew Brady Ambrotype Photo of American Arctic Explorer Elisha Kent Kane (1856)
Engraving of a lost Mathew Brady ambrotype of Arctic explorer Elisha Kent Kane, 1856. Published in the August 30, 1856 issue of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. The icy decorations along the border of the engraving include two scenes probably based on sketches from the 1853-1855 Second Grinnell Expedition.
Source: Archive.org.
Monday, February 3, 2025
Photo of a House With Gatehouse in Front Probably Taken in Washington DC (1863)
Sunday, February 2, 2025
Photo of a Small Wood and Stone Dam Holding Back a Stream on a Hillside Possibly Along Rock Creek in Washington DC (1850's)
View of a small wood and stone dam holding back a stream on a hillside possibly along Rock Creek (in the foreground) in Washington, D.C., c. 1855-1860. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Early Photo of Chain Bridge Over the Potomac River Connecting Virginia With Washington DC (1860)
View of Chain Bridge over the Potomac River connecting Virginia (area where the bridge ends at left in distance) with Washington, D.C., c. 1860. The two men posing in the rowboat in the foreground might be Peale's photographic assistants or else simply out for a day of fishing. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale. Originally published as a stereoview. This is probably the earliest known photo of the bridge if it was taken before or during the early days of the Civil War.
Friday, January 31, 2025
Engraving of a Lost Mathew Brady Ambrotype Photo of American Arctic Explorer Elisha Kent Kane With Expedition Members After Returning From the Second Grinnell Expedition (1855)
Engraving of a lost Mathew Brady ambrotype of Arctic explorer Elisha Kent Kane (center) with fellow expedition members after returning to New York City after the Second Grinnell Expedition in October 1855. Originally published on the cover of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper in December 1855.
Original caption: "The Arctic Explorers. Drawn by Wallin. From an Ambrotype by Brady."
A retouched second or third generation copy of the original photo.
Thursday, January 30, 2025
"A 60 lb. Columbia River Salmon" (1861)
"A 60 lb. Columbia River Salmon." Possibly taken by a member of the British North American Boundary Commission in 1861.
Hand-Colored Photo of Two Wigwams and a Bark Canoe in a Chippewa (Ojibwe) Native American Camp Probably Somewhere in Minnesota (1860's)
Hand-colored view of two wigwams and a bark canoe in a Chippewa Native American camp probably somewhere in Minnesota, c. 1860s. Originally published as a stereoview. According to the back label of the stereoview, it was sold at Martin's Art Gallery in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Photo of a Winnebago Native American Woman With a Young Child Posing in Front of a Wigwam Probably Somewhere in Iowa (1860s)
Portrait of an Winnebago Native American woman with a young child posing in front of a wigwam probably somewhere in Iowa, c. 1860s. Originally published as a stereoview by photography firm Hamilton & Hoyt and attributed to photographer C. L. Hamilton.
Monday, January 27, 2025
Photo of Peirce Mill and Peirce Barn Along Rock Creek in Washington DC (1855)
View of Peirce Mill (right) and Peirce Barn (building in background) along Rock Creek in Washington, D.C., September 26, 1855. The building between the mill and barn appears to be another barn which is no longer standing today. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.
Sunday, January 26, 2025
Photo of Union Soldiers of the 6th Massachusetts Militia Regiment Posing in Battle Monument Square in Baltimore, Maryland (1861)
Portrait photo of Union soldiers of the 6th Massachusetts Militia Regiment posing in front of the War of 1812 Battle Monument in Battle Monument Square in Baltimore, Maryland, July 1, 1861. Attributed to photographer William Weaver. I think it is a possibility that using a studio portrait lens to take this outdoor photograph caused the edges of it to look so out of focus.
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Photo of a Bartender and Customer at an Outdoor Mixed Drinks Bar in St. Louis, Missouri (1880s)
Portrait of a bartender and customer at an outdoor mixed drinks bar in St. Louis, Missouri, c. 1880s. Originally published as a stereoview.
Photo of a Billiard Room Building on an Unidentified Antebellum Plantation in South Carolina (1860)
View of a billiard room building on an unidentified plantation in South Carolina, 1860. Taken by Amateur Photographic Exchange Club member Edward Cottenet and originally published as a stereoview. The only other stereoview taken by Cottenet that I can find online is one that features another large tree with other buildings behind it that was probably taken on the same plantation.
Thursday, January 23, 2025
Photo of a Preserved Section of Revolutionary War Era Fortifications at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (1862)
"On the old fortification at Valley Forge." View of a section of Revolutionary War-era fortifications at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, c. 1862. Taken by Amateur Photographic Exchange Club member Samuel Fisher Corlies. Originally published as a stereoview. I think that the trees look to bare for this to have been taken in May as the Library of Congress site states so probably the May date on the card only pertains to the printing date.
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Photo of an Unidentified Shuttered Building in a Forested Area (1870's/1880's)
View of a unidentified shuttered building in a forested area probably somewhere in the United States, c. 1870-1890. The building was possibly once a two-room schoolhouse considering what looks like two doors at the front of the building. Originally published as a stereoview.
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Photo Portrait of Attendees and Exhibits at the National Fair in the Old Patent Office Building in Washington DC (1864)
Portrait of attendees and exhibits at the National Fair in the Old Patent Office Building in Washington, D.C., 1864. This seems to have been a smaller and much less well known version of a sanitary fair held in various Northern and Midwestern cities during the American Civil War to raise funds to support Union troops. According to the American Presidency Project, President Abraham Lincoln attended this fair and gave a short speech at it on March 16, 1864. Originally published as a stereoview by Bell & Bro. This is the only photograph of the event I have come across.
Monday, January 20, 2025
Self-Portrait of American Photographer John Moran Posing Behind A Tree (1863)
Self-portrait of photographer John Moran posing behind a tree, c. 1863. Another unidentified man is posing in the background at right. Originally published as a stereoview.
Sunday, January 19, 2025
CDV Photo Self-Portrait of Photographer Alexander Gardner Dressed as a Frontiersmen (1861)
Carte-de-visite self-portrait of photographer Alexander Gardner dressed as trapper or mountain man and posing with a bow and arrow, c. 1861.
Saturday, January 18, 2025
View of Scaffolding Built For the Construction of Cabin John Bridge in Cabin John, Maryland (1859)
View of scaffolding built for the construction of Cabin John Bridge (also known as the Union Arch Bridge) in Cabin John, Maryland, c. 1859. The bridge was built as part of the Washington Aqueduct project. The dam in the foreground is holding up the waters of Cabin John Creek. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.
Friday, January 17, 2025
Photo of a Group Posing in Front of the Georgetown University Astronomical Observatory in Washington DC (1850s)
Portrait of a group posing in front of the Georgetown University Astronomical Observatory in Washington, D.C., c. 1855-1860. What looks like a Jesuit priest wearing a straw top hat is posing at left. This is probably the earliest surviving photo of the observatory. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.
Thursday, January 16, 2025
View of an Early Wooden Pedestrian Bridge Over the C&O Canal in or Near Washington DC (1850s)
View of an early wooden pedestrian bridge over the C&O Canal in or near Washington, D.C., c. 1855-1860. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale. A person appears to be sitting under the bridge on the towpath at left.
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Photo Portrait of a Group Posing in Front of George Washington's Family Tomb at Mount Vernon, Virginia (1859)
Portrait of a group posing in front of George Washington's family tomb on the grounds of Mount Vernon in Fairfax County, Virginia, May 13, 1859. What looks to be three black men, possibly enslaved workers at Mount Vernon, are posing directly in front of the tomb's gate. Taken by photographer Titian Ramsay Peale who signed and dated the photo at bottom right.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Hand-Colored Photo Portrait of a Group Posing in Front of Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County, Virginia (1859)
Hand-colored portrait of a group posing in front of Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County, Virginia, c. 1859-1860. Attributed to William England. Originally published as a stereoview by London Stereoscopic Company. The man sitting in shadow on a ledge at right might have been a local guide that the photographer had hired while the three posing at the bottom of the gorge might have been tourists.
Monday, January 13, 2025
Photo of a Stretch of the C&O Canal Near Little Falls on the Potomac River (1850s)
View of a stretch of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal near Little Falls on the Potomac River close to the Maryland/Washington, D.C., border line, c. 1855-1860. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.
Sunday, January 12, 2025
Early Photo of Washington DC Taken From Robert E. Lee's Arlington House Mansion in Arlington, Virginia (1850's/1860's)
Early view of Washington, D.C., which looks like it was taken from the area in front of Robert E. Lee's Arlington House mansion in Arlington, Virginia, c. 1855-1865. The uncompleted Washington Monument can be seen across the Potomac River on the right. This might be the earliest known photo of the monument. Possibly taken during the early days of the Civil War after Union soldiers occupied the Arlington House property or else during the years leading up to the war. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.
Source: National Museum of American History.
Early photo of Arlington House possibly taken on the same day by Peale.
Saturday, January 11, 2025
View of an Unidentified Street With a Park And Houses in the Background in Washington DC (1850s)
View of an unidentified street with houses and a what looks like a park in the background in Washington, D.C., c. 1855-1860. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.
Portrait of a Family Group Posing in Front of George Washington's Mount Vernon Mansion in Fairfax County, Virginia (1859-1860)
Portrait of a group posing in front of George Washington's Mount Vernon mansion in Fairfax, Virginia, c. 1859-1860. What looks like a blurry family can be seen sitting on the lawn in front of the second pillar and a man can be seen looking on at far right. At least two ship masts and two wooden planks can be seen holding up the deteriorated left side of the porch. Attributed to either John Wood or Montgomery Meigs.
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Portrait of a Man Wearing a Top Hat Posing in Front of H. Burr's House in Washington DC (1857)
Portrait of a man posing in front of H. Burr's house in Washington, D.C., April 1857. An unidentified church is also visible to the left of it in the distance. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.
Early Photo of Robert E. Lee's Arlington House Mansion in Arlington, Virginia (1850's/1860s)
Early photographic view of the front of Robert E. Lee's Arlington House mansion in Arlington, Virginia, c. 1855-1865. Possibly taken during the early days of the Civil War after Union soldiers occupied the property. This might be the earliest surviving photo of the mansion. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.