Ian Ference's 3D blog on all things stereographic, from classic scopes & stereoviews to historical context & modern analysis
The Great War was notorious for many things, and one of the most prominent among them was the use of gas warfare. Herein is explained the main gas weapons used in direct violation of the Hague Convention, their effects, and the reason they were not used much after the War.
While not as commonly represented in exciting sets of stereoviews, photographs and newsreels from the front - or any media really, standing around and shooting the breeze was as much a part of Great War life as ducking for cover during a bombardment or hastily fitting a gas mask. These were men at war, but foremost, they were men living their lives.
Dr. Fasser's collection came with a twine-bound set of 8 slides marked "Rheims", a common alternate spelling of Reims. But given what's on the slides, he couldn't have made them all himself - so we must examine the evidence to try to suss out whether Fasser ever did photograph Reims.
One of the items in Andrew O. Fasser's collection of stereo slides is a box, which originally held Verascope Richard 6x13 diapositives, simply marked "Belgium". Inside are 16 slides of Great War devastation; the best 8 are examined.
In which Wilfred Owen's poem is paired with and analyzed beside one of the images from the A. O. Fasser Collection.
The Tranchée des Baïonnettes - where 21 men of the 137th Infantry's 3 Company were supposedly buried alive, with only their bayonets poking out above the earth - was photographed after it was excavated during the planning phases of the 1920 monument built on the site.
French soldiers passed the interminably long days, weeks, and months in the trenches in numerous ways. One of these ways was by playing the card game Manille.