Ian Ference's 3D blog on all things stereographic, from classic scopes & stereoviews to historical context & modern analysis
Questions are a burden to others; answers a prison for oneself. So we're all going to wind up as prisoners in Portmeirion, the North Wales village designed by a mad visionary and used for the exteriors of "The Village" in ITV's 1967 sci-fi allegory "The Prisoner". Shown in VistaScreen 3D and in annotated screengrabs from the series,
Today we look at the Isle of Man, or Ellan Vannin as it's known to the speakers of its native zombie language, Manx Gaelg. A small island in the Irish Sea, this self-governing Crown dependency was the first place in the world where women could vote in national elections - and boasts the world's oldest parliamentary body. Come take a look!
On this week's Sunday Travels, we're in for a pleasant surprise - Keystone View Company not only created a number of pretty great stereoviews, but they treated their subjects with respect. A stark contrast to Australia and most of The Netherlands, we'll look at the likely explanation for the nice stereography and barely-racist text.
I have a few hours to kill on my birthday before my wife gets home. So what better way than by posting a Top 10 list of stereoviews that have previously been posted on this blog?
Sunday Travels is back - with a ridiculous look at Australia, courtesy of KVC. The only thing more common than kangaroos in this set of stereoviews is stereotyping - at which Keystone excelled. Some come aboard, and see all the excitement of 'roos, sheep, and a really big rock!
I love penguins. Even taxidermic penguins, such as these specimens from the Grande Galerie de l’Évolution in Paris. While bereft of life they rest in peace, they're still lovely (and quite lifelike!) specimens. Let's take a trip to the museum!
Today marks the 80th anniversary of the German invasion of Poland, and thus, the Second World War. And of course, Heinrich Hoffman and Raumbild were there to capture it. While we can't celebrate this anniversary, we can study it - with 80 stereoviews split between two posts. This one focuses on "Die Soldaten des Führers im Felde Band I: Der Feldzug in Polen".
The Free City of Danzig was created at the end of the Great War by the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. This was intended to be a slap in the face to Germany - and two decades later, 80 years ago to the day, Germany fired the first shots here to jumpstart the Second World War.
With a heavy-duty post inbound this coming Sunday, let's put on our anoraks and head on down to the railyards - because it's time for a bit of trainspotting with Stanley Long and company!
For our final Sunday in The Netherlands, we're back in Amsterdam - about half a century before Raumbild's "Holland". Expect canals, wooden shoes, quaint street scenes - and a couple of really great stereoviews from KVC!