browse stereo collection

Stereo photographic techniques have existed since nearly the invention of photography. Sir David Brewster invented the first practical stereo photographic device and presented one to Queen victoria in 1851. Stereograms and stereoscopes were common items in Victorian parlors and in the days before television were a way for people to "see the world from your parlour," as one manufacturer advertised. The popularity of stereo photography has ebbed and flowed over the years and is now being resuscitated by the internet, with dozens of sites dedicated to 3D imagery.

We recently discovered a small cache of stereo slides of fungi on the Plant Pathology Herbarium Photo Collection. They were created in the 1950s by photographer Howard Lyon. These slides were made to be viewed with a Stereo Realist Red Dot viewer (see picture), but can now be viewed on you computer monitor.

To see these images in 3D, do the following:

• Position your head about 18" from the monitor.
• Focus your eyes on the dots above each picture.
• Allow your eyes to defocus (look through the monitor). The two dots will wander towards each other as you defocus.
• When the two dots merge into one, shift your gaze downward to the picture to see the mushroom in 3D.