Recently, David and I toured the Photo Antiquities Museum of Photographic History, where I snapped this phone image of a stereoscope card. The museum has a remarkable collection of early photographs, and Bruce Klein, the owner of the museum, fascinated us with lively stories about the artifacts on our tour.
The most amazing part was being able to hold daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, & lantern slides -- original antique photos on glass. Holding a rare piece of history like this transported me back to the 1800's in a way that reading about the subject never could.
By the 1850's, stereoscopic images like the one above, became popular. Stereoscope cards were made by photographing a scene once, then moving the camera 3.5 inches to the right or left, and taking a second photo of the same scene. Viewed in a wooden holder like the one below, the pair of images would allow you to see the scene in 3D.
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| photo by By Judson McCranie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereoscope#/media/File:U&U_Stereoscope_(02).jpg |
If you hold an index card between your eyes and line it up with the yellow line between the two photos, you might be able to watch the two photos merge into a single, three-dimensional view of this old ruin in Shropshire, England.
As artists, we take inspiration from our daily lives, and the Shropshire ruin photo caught my artist's eye. Here's a pen & ink drawing I made.
Does the past fascinate you? Why not find an old photo to use as a reference and make a sketch! The trick to making progress with your art skills is persistent practice. It doesn't matter what you draw or paint as long as you keep it up!
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