Stereoscopic Views among the White Mountains in New Hampshire. New Bedford, MA
Not on view
Edward and Charles Bierstadt copyrighted this compact book of stereographs in 1860, the same year they opened a photography shop in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Hoping to capitalize on the recent introduction of handheld stereoscopes, the brothers furnished the book with a built-in set of prismatic lenses, a self-contained viewing system that allowed immediate access to the three-dimensional effect of the pictures, which they collaboratively composed with a third brother, the painter Albert Bierstadt. While Albert’s experience with photography and his painting practice proved mutually beneficial, the brothers deemed this publication a failure due to the expense of producing the salted paper prints and the imperfect arrangement of the lenses. Despite this judgment, the book is now a prized relic of the creative interaction of the three Bierstadt brothers.
