Ian Ference's 3D blog on all things stereographic, from classic scopes & stereoviews to historical context & modern analysis
Stanley Long set out to take some stereoviews of puppets for children to enjoy. Unfortunately he went to Betty Brimmer's Puppet Theatre, which is a thoroughly grotesque and ghastly place, full of misshapen ghouls, racist caricatures, and little girls who are soon to be bear food.
T.H. O'Sullivan's portrayals of Indigenous peoples are indisputably amongst the most lauded. But are they also problematic? Today is Indigenous Peoples' Day, and I will utilize this opportunity to examine the white perspectives that have pervaded our culture - through the lens of one of the "great stereographers".
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".
In 1934, Tru Vue published "New York's Chinatown", which starts with a little racist poetry and goes on to show some random street scenes, etc, as well as making it look dangerous and exotic. The 3D is well executed for early Tru Vue - the racism, not so much. Also included, a short explanation on how a Tru Vue filmstrip was put together.