Transportation Building, 1893

12 stereographs depicting various views from the World’s Columbian Exposition fairgrounds including some construction views. Stereographs, an early form of three-dimensional photograph, were a commercial and entertainment success in the latter part of the nineteenth century. These popular items consist of two nearly identical photographs—one for the left eye, one for the right. Viewing the images though a special lens arrangement called a stereoscope combines the two flat images and creates the illusion of objects in spatial depth giving the viewer the sense of being present at a moment and place in time. Due to the affordability of these photographs, they were able to reach across class lines, allowing even the poor working class to purchase these photographs as souvenirs.