Primary Source Sets

Stereopticon

Stereopticon images were the first attempt at creating 3D images using two-dimensional photos. Two nearly identical images are printed side-by-side and viewed through a binocular lens, called a stereoscope. The phenomenon was discovered in 1838 and has influenced later 3D photographic techniques. This image is of Portland and the Willamette River from 1867 and was owned by Simeon and Amanda Reed.