Exhibition: Seeing Double: Stereo Photography, Historical Cartography and the US Industrial Revolution 1840-1920

The collections of 19th century stereo photographs (stereoviews) and historical maps on which this exhibition is based, had their origins over the past two decades in teaching and research on the historical geography of industrial development in what became known as the American Manufacturing Belt.

Through the lens of the stereo photographer, exploring the novel technology of 3D visual effects, the exhibition examines key industrial sectors, such as the railroads, oil production, coal mining and the rise of the iron and steel industry. The varied geographical manifestations of the technologies and developments involved are further examined using a variety of cartographic resources.

This is the first time that images from a large collection of US industrial stereoviews of this kind have been exhibited in the UK, if not in Europe. While some will be familiar to 19th century photographic historians, others are very rare or are newly discovered and are not found in even the largest US public collections. Likewise, scans of original maps, dating back as far as a railroad map from 1831, are used to illustrate the wider geographical contexts of economic development, as well as pinpointing the locations at which photographs were taken.

Where the original images will support it, large format anaglyphs have been created of selected scenes, to allow photos to be studied in 3D and in much greater detail than is possible using small format stereoviewers alone. It will become apparent that stereoviews represent an immensely valuable, but strangely neglected resource for the study of historical geography, quite apart from their important place in the history of photography.

The exhibition is designed and curated by Professor Richard Healey of the School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences at the University of Portsmouth. The support of the School in creating the displays is gratefully acknowledged, together with the contribution of a number of technical specialists in scanning and digital reproduction from across the university.