Jan 26, 2017

Long before the world’s first 3D movie was the stereoscope, a device that juxtaposed two pictures of the same object, making them appear to pop at the viewer.

: (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: Monument. Barnum Hotel. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: Peabody Institute. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: Cascades & Jones Falls, Patterson Park. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: Druid Hill Park lake. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: Military parade, marching in column, Broadway. 1880. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: Mt. Vernon Place, southwest from Washington Monument. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: Baltimore Street. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: Baltimore from Federal Hill – looking N. W. 1870. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: Patterson Park. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: Entrance to Green Mount cemetery. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: Johns Hopkins Hospital (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: Panoramic view of the city, N. from Federal Hill Park, 1879. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: Woman at Druid Hill Park. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: The mansion at Druid Hill Park. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: The city jail. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: Unitarian Cathedral. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: The oldest home in Baltimore. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: City Hall. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: Shot tower. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

: The old Baltimore Sun building. (Image via New York Public Library, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Arts, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection)

“In fact, few persons who aspired to culture were without a stereoscope on the living room table and a stack of stereographs (double photos) which might range from historic scenes in this country to travel pictures from all parts of the world, and from sentimental and comic topics to natural history subjects,” recalled Frank Woodfield in The Sun in 1953.

The above images of Baltimore in the 1800s come courtesy of the New York Public Library website, which has a special feature that allows users to animate the archival images to give them the effect of movement.

GIF made with the NYPL Labs Stereogranimator

Baltimore, twice: Stereoscopic views from the NYPL

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