Stereoscopic view of an ornate gateway to a garden thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Stereoscopic view of an ornate gateway to a garden

Photograph
ca. 1850 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The daguerreotype process was introduced to the public in 1839 by Frenchman Louis Daguerre, and was hugely popular as a medium for portraiture until the middle of the 1850s. To create a daguerreotype, a silver plated sheet was given a light sensitive surface coating of iodine vapour. After a long exposure in the camera, the image was developed over heated mercury and fixed in a common salt solution. The image lies on a mirror-like surface and is best seen from an angle to minimise reflections. The surface of daguerreotypes is delicate and easily damaged, so professionally finished images were presented in a protective case or frame.

A stereograph is composed of two pictures mounted next to each other, viewed with a set of lenses known as a stereoscope. Taken around 7cm apart, roughly corresponding to the spacing of the eyes, the left picture represents what the left eye would see, and likewise for the right, so when observing the pictures through a stereoscopic viewer, the pair of photographs converge into a single three-dimensional image.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleStereoscopic view of an ornate gateway to a garden (generic title)
Materials and techniques
daguerreotype, framed, wood, leather, glass
Brief description
Daguerreotype, cased photograph, stereoscopic view of an ornate gateway to a garden, possibly British, ca.1850.
Physical description
Daguerreotype cased photogrpah. A stereoscopic view of an ornate gateway to a garden.
Dimensions
  • Width including frame width: 170mm
Subjects depicted
Summary
The daguerreotype process was introduced to the public in 1839 by Frenchman Louis Daguerre, and was hugely popular as a medium for portraiture until the middle of the 1850s. To create a daguerreotype, a silver plated sheet was given a light sensitive surface coating of iodine vapour. After a long exposure in the camera, the image was developed over heated mercury and fixed in a common salt solution. The image lies on a mirror-like surface and is best seen from an angle to minimise reflections. The surface of daguerreotypes is delicate and easily damaged, so professionally finished images were presented in a protective case or frame.

A stereograph is composed of two pictures mounted next to each other, viewed with a set of lenses known as a stereoscope. Taken around 7cm apart, roughly corresponding to the spacing of the eyes, the left picture represents what the left eye would see, and likewise for the right, so when observing the pictures through a stereoscopic viewer, the pair of photographs converge into a single three-dimensional image.
Collection
Accession number
E.1200-1992

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Record createdMarch 17, 2009
Record URL
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