Raumbild is most closely associated with Nazi propaganda produced between 1936 and 1945. But after the war, Otto Schönstein's images were much more benign - and I needed a break from heady stuff. So enjoy the lovely animal stereoviews of Tiere aus aller Welt!
Aus der Lebensgemeinschaft des Waldes – The German Forest in 3D
Of all of the Raumbild albums created by the Nazi regime, "Aus der Lebensgemeinschaft des Waldes" might well be the most innocuous. Come take a stroll through the German forest - in 3D!
Sunday Travels #5: Australia (Kangaroos, Sheep, and a Really Big Rock)
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!
Worst in Show: VistaScreen Series 49 “Dogs” Really Screws the Pooch
We've looked at some great VistaScreen, some interesting VistaScreen, and some just plain silly VistaScreen on this blog. But here, we're going to look at the absolute dregs of VistaScreen - which also happens to be one of the most popular sets the company produced during its mid-period in the late 1950s.
The Blue Grotto Aquarium at Eastbourne Redoubt
Benjamin White bought a Napoleonic-era coastal fort in 1957. Instead of turning it into a museum, his vision was a huge model village - and the bizarre Blue Grotto Aquarium. And who was on the scene to capture two weird attractions in one old fort? Why, Stanley Long of VistaScreen, of course!
Bertram Mills Circus II: Clowning Around, Balancing on Elephants, Riding a Pony, and Taming the American Indian Caricatures
In the second installment (out of three) focused on the wonders of the three VistaScreen series on the Bertram Mills Circus, I document my personal journey over the course of the last couple of years to complete Series 46 - which led to my discovery of two more complete 10-card sets, and to a fascination with VistaScreen. We also delve into the reasons why there are two alternate sets with the same designation - including the theory that some rather racially unacceptable portrayals of American Indians caused the company to change from this relatively quaint "Day Series" to the more formal, and more scarce, "Night Series".
Bertram Mills Circus I: Getting Ready for the Ballyhoo Under the Big Top
Out of love of all things circus, my very first series of images on this blog was VistaScreen C.62 "Bertram Mills Circus". This is more or less a redux of that series, revamped to greatly improve the image quality, display options, and anaglyphs, with some new information. This is the first in a series of three posts focused on 1950s VistaScreen stereography of Britain's answer to RB&BB - Bertram Mills Circus - because who doesn't love the Big Top?
One-shot #30: London Zoo Penguins, by Sunbeam Tours Ltd.
Being delighted to receive this bizarrely-tall thin paper stereoview a few days prior, I failed at the time to realize that it was a more expensive stereo pair than any of the other 1,000+ that I had received during "Christmas in July". And it was totally worth it, because penguins are the best!
VistaScreen’s “Chi-Chi the Giant Panda”: Why does this even exist?
Looking for a ridiculous series of stereoscopic photographs on one subject that were probably all taken in the course of an hour and possibly all given captions in the span of two minutes? Then look no further, my friends.
One-shot #22: A Man and his Monkey
Included for free with a box of Veado Brand Cigars, this card features a man and his monkey - and might be part of the most prolific "freebie" line of gimmick stereoviews ever produced.