| Abstract: | At first glance, photographic stereoviews of geographic and architectural sites produced around the turn of the twentieth century may appear static. After all, they are composed of still photographic indexical references to specific sites. Yet the three-dimensionality of the image creates an enhanced illusion of real space, pointing to aspirations of simulated travel, and in fact, stereoviews do feature movement within the frame of the image. Stereoviews compel the spectator to continuously change their point of view within the frame. Between the frames, movement from one stereoview to the next becomes another way of experiencing travel and creating a narrative. Certain producers of stereoviews packaged their photographs to represent specific tours of geographic regions, tours that embodied Grand Tour ideals of the physical world as a site of knowledge and amusement. Moreover, through both the composition of the photographs and the accompanying tour book, these collections create a normative view of history, progress and a stratified society. |
