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PAST intends to provide
links to resources that connect us all to the wonders of the
natural and historic built environment. Some current favorites
appear below. Please contact PAST
with your thoughts.
National
Stereoscopic Association
Want to learn more about all forms of stereoscopic viewing?
Find that elusive Viewmaster reel from the 1939 World’s
Fair? Turn to the National Stereoscopic Association,
a non-profit organization created in 1970 “to promote
the study, collection and use of stereographs, stereo cameras
and related materials, provide a forum for collectors and
students of stereoscopic history; to promote the practice
of stereo photography; to encourage the use of stereoscopy
in the fields of visual arts and technology and to foster
the appreciation of the stereograph as a visual historical
record.” They also put on a great convention, held this
year in Boise, Idaho, on July 10-17, 2007. http://www.stereoview.org
Eadweard
Muybridge’s Stereoviews
One of the most important photographers and photographic
innovators of the late 1800s, Muybridge photographed some
of the most compelling images of the West. Subsequently, he
turned his roving eye upon the study of animals in motion,
the latter work labeling him as one of the fathers of the
moving picture. First and foremost, he was an outstanding
photographer, as this sampling of images taken from his work
for the Central Pacific Railroad attest. Compare his compositions
to those of Carleton Watkins, another Master behind the camera.
http://www.cprr.org/Museum/Muybridge%20Stereoviews/index.html
Carleton
Watkins
The work of Carleton Watkins
has fascinated me for ten years. This pioneering photographer
chronicled the natural wonders and burgeoning cities of the
West for over thirty years of the late 1800s. At a time when
photography was an arduous process, Watkins’s artistic
mastery and technical skill were truly extraordinary. This
website focuses on the breadth of subject manner depicted
in Watkins’s stereographs. In a future issue of PAST
Perspectives, we offer the stereograph as a viable documentation
source for historic buildings. www.carletonwatkins.org
Stereoview
Auction
Looking to add to your stereoview collection? John
Saddy runs a fabulous auction for all sorts of old views,
American and European. His on-line auctions have been a wonderful
source for my collection. Browse his pages just to see the
breadth of subjects captured by the stereo photographer’s
camera.
http://www3.sympatico.ca/john.saddy.3d
Ahhh…
Amsterdam!!!
I’ve returned from a recent trip to Amsterdam an enchanted
person. The city, with its shimmering canals lined with
ancient historic buildings, is simply enchanting. A week (or
two, or three) spent bicycling the narrow canals, exploring
the museums and wandering the bulb fields heals the body,
spirit and soul. Explore this website for cultural and tourist
information about my favorite city in Europe. http://www.visitamsterdam.nl
Forest
Products Laboratory
Is dry rot really dry? What is the species of your original
1910 bungalow breakfront? Explore this site to learn about
wood, decipher typical conservation problems a homeowner may
encounter, and learn how to treat them. The Forest Products
Laboratory is a good initiation into the world of wood
conservation. www.fpl.fs.fed.us
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