One of the parcels which arrived on "Christmas in July" two days ago contained a wooden box - with about 500 amateur glass stereoviews contained within. Today, we take a look at two boxes at random, in an attempt to determine what this acquisition consists of, who might have taken it, and whether it is, indeed, a cohesive collection, as opposed to a random pile of amateur glass.
Charles Bierstadt: A Great Stereographer’s Journeys Beyond Niagara & Yosemite
While he is primarily known for his views of Niagara Falls, and secondarily known for his expeditions to Yosemite, Charles "Chas" Bierstadt got around - most of the views featured here are at neither of his favored locations. Chas got around!
Burlesque Series: Sally Rand’s Fan Dance, 1933
Happy New Year! And what better way to celebrate than with a burlesque performance? Sally Rand's Fan Dance is credited by many as being the main attraction at the 1933 Century of Progress - despite its having gotten her arrested numerous times. See it here in 3D via an early filmstrip from Tru Vue, taken at the Chicago World's Fair!
Burlesque Series: Gypsy Rose Lee
After the shoulder strap broke on a dress during a usually-innocent dance routine, Gypsy Rose Lee was propelled into the world of burlesque - where she became one of its most legendary performers. Here she is in wonderful 3D!
Casualties That Yet Lived On
Most people think that the casualties of War are the people killed in fighting. But many lived on, bearing scars, lost limbs, trauma; they did not receive the honors of those that fell. This post explores that notion with casualty stereoviews from A. O. Fasser, and a poem by Wilfred Owen.
One-shot #23: Wilfred Owen’s “Strange Meeting”
A simple image of a skull intentionally staged in a "tunnel" (trench), accompanied by Wilfred Owen's most complex war poem - set in a tunnel... of sorts.
One-shot #8: At a Calvary Near the Ancre
In which Wilfred Owen's poem is paired with and analyzed beside one of the images from the A. O. Fasser Collection.
Wilfred Owen: Anthem for a Doomed Poet
One hundred years ago today, Wilfred Owen, a Lieutenant in the 2nd Manchesters - and an as-yet unknown poet - fell to German guns in the crossing of the Sambre-Oise Canal in the Second Battle of the Sambre. Here's a brief account of the final three years of his life, with 3D photographs that show the gritty reality of the Great War.