Before My Time Antiques and the Garden of Eat'n

A Brief History of Stereography

From the early 1850s to the late 1930s millions of stereoscopic photographs were made by commercial and amateur photographers. At the height of their popularity in the late 1890s, a stereoscope and a selection of views could be found in nearly every middle and upper income home in the United States.
The first major public introduction to stereoscopy occured at the 1851 International Exhibition of London, England. By 1859 stereomania was in full blossom in the United States, with local photographers and major publishers making scenes for a hungry public.
The financial crash of 1873 sent the stereo view business into a decline. The demand for stereo views dropped dramaticaly and many local photographers ceased production or even went out of business. From this decline grew a trade in "pirated" or "copy" views. These publishers simply copied existing views and placed cheap-quality prints on a low-quality card stock. The copy publishers flourished at one point and, as a result, some examples of better quality can be found on these copy views.
The stereo view business began to come back in the 1880s, thanks to door-to-door stereoscope sales, and continued until the depression of the 1930s.

Title; Our Army of Volunteers at Camp Alger, Virginia, U.S.A.
Copyright 1898 by F. Jarvis
Underwood & Underwood, Publishers
New York, London, Toronto-Canada, Ottawa-Kansas
Works and Studios
Washington, D.C., Arlington, N.J., Littleton, N.H.

Underwood and Underwood, Bert and Elmer.
Active about 1882-1921

This view is in fair-good condition.
Listed at $4.99
USPS First Class postage, including a delivery confirmation, is $3.50
Postage is discounted on multiple purchases.

I have not yet found any biographical information on the American Stereoscopic Company

This view is in good condition.
Listed at $7.99
USPS First Class postage, including delivery confirmation, is $3.50
Postage is discounted on multiple purchases

I have not yet found any biographical information on the American Stereoscopic Company.

This view is in good condition
Listed at $7.99
USPS First Class postage, including a delivery confirmation, is $3.50
Postage is discounted with multiple purchases

The reverse has an incredible printed advetisement;
PARK AVENUE BRIDGE
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA,
BUILT BY THE WROUGHT IRON BRIDGE CO.,
CANTON, OHIO.
LICHTENWALTER & RICH,
Elwood, Ill., General Agents for Iowa.
W.F. Kilborn, Photographer

According to Biographies of Western Photographers, written by Carl Mautz, "W.F. Kilborn was associated with A.G. Rifenburg at 1 and 3 South Commercial Street, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1865-1875.
He was later located in Grand Island, Nebraska, 1888-1893."

The photos on this view are in fair-good but the advertisement on the reverse is very good.

Listed at $19.99
USPS First Class postage, including delivery confirmation, is $3.50
Postage is discounted for multiple purchases

Labeled on the reverse;
WISCONSIN ILLUSTRATED,
On Lower Fox Below Appleton
Negative by T.P. Bingham

According to Biographies of Western Photographers, written by Carl Mautz, "T.P. Bingham issued rare "Wisconsin Illustrated" stereoviews; no studio location given, but active in Appleton."

This view is in good condition
Listed at $19.99
USPS First Class postage, including delivery confirmation, is $3.50
Postage will be discounted for multiple purchases