An intriguing and astonishing new title to be released in the Autumn 2014 from The London Stereoscopic Company…
NEW FOR 2014
HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY
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The Poor Man’s Picture Gallery
Victorian Paintings and their Stereoscopic Counterparts
Denis Pellerin and Brian May
This astonishing set of stereo cards from Brian May’s collection reconstructs over 12 well known Victorian works in Tate Britain using real actors and staged scenes. The stereos are contemporary with the paintings, and their existence was hitherto unknown outside the circle of specialist collectors of Victoriana.
They were produced for commercial reasons – the advent of a new painting by a great artist was big news, but most people were not able to access and enjoy the new works of art. Entrepreneurial photographers of the day reconstructed the scenes, photographed them, and sold the stereo cards for profit. In addition to their beauty, they shed light on the story of these famous paintings, and reveal a great deal about the society of the time.
The format is to show the painting itself, followed by the stereo card versions of that painting with explanatory text. The artists include Landseer, Maclise, Wallis, Millais, Calderon, Lane, Frith, Nicol, Collins, Leslie, Hunt, and the photographers were the most distinguished of that time. The book accompanies an exhibition of these cards which will be held at the Tate from October 2014 on.
Retail price: £40/US$60/CAN$75
Hardcover: 208 pages, 300 photographs, slipcased with 3-D viewer
Size: 325 x 240 mm
Published: Autumn 2014
ISBN: 978-0-9574246-1-6 Pre-order Link