People who start reading this blog regularly will notice a recurring theme in my collection – besides Great War views and amateur stereographs, there’s nothing I like more than a weird scene. This a pretty weird stereoview, especially when one considers that it was taken by B. W. Kilburn, one of the great American stereo photographers of the 19th century, who was well known for his sweeping landscapes, Old West scenes, and not so much for his closeups of Mexican wax work figurines. But that’s exactly what he photographed at some point in 1873, as seen here:
Interesting stuff. Clearly, the title more or less accurately describes the image; in typical Kilburn style, the stereoptic effect is neither weak nor exaggerated. But the subject is just cool. And these figurines were clearly well done! The card would not have originally borne the stamp on the right hand side, and a quick Google search turned up little about “Webster’s Photograph Rooms” besides a few adverts from the appropriate area. In any case, this is a fun little view, and if you care to see it anaglyphically, here you go:
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