We are delighted to be a Corporate Partner of Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village where, this summer, a major exhibition of stereoscopic photography opens to explore the 19th-century photography craze that, for the first time, enabled pictures to appear in 3D.
Victorian Virtual Reality presents highlights from the Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy, one of the largest archives of stereoscopic images in the world.
Created by Sir Brian May, lead guitarist for Queen, the collection began when stereoscopy went through a second wave of popularity in the mid-20th century and Brian, then aged 12, found a free stereoscopic card in a box of Weetabix which pictured a pair of hippos. The Weetabix packet bore the instruction “Send One and Sixpence and a packet top, and we will send you a Vistascreen viewer, so you can see your cards in magnificent 3-D realism.” Brian sent off for the viewer, was captivated by the result, and so began a lifelong passion.
The interactive exhibition at Watts Gallery, featuring over 150 stereoscopic photographs that visitors will be able to experience through a wide range of viewers and digital techniques, will explore the wide breadth of subject matter found in Sir Brian’s collection, from celebrity portraits to snapshots of Victorian life and travel.
Stereoscopic photographs comprise two images of the same scene taken from slightly different viewpoints. When these are mounted side by side and viewed through a stereoscope, the observer sees just one three-dimensional image. In the late 1850s and 1860s they circulated world-wide in their tens of thousands.
Victorian Virtual Reality will be the first exhibition at Watts Gallery dedicated to stereoscopy. It will be presented thematically, opening with an introduction to the phenomenon and early images from Sir Brian May’s collection, including his first ever stereoscopic photograph – the Weetabix hippos – and examples of the earliest viewing devices and photographs of Victorians at home, sharing and viewing their own collections of images.
In Portraiture, visitors will see how the stereoscopic photographic format was used for all types of portraits, including celebrities such as Charles Dickens and Ellen Terry, the first wife of Watts Gallery’s Co-Founder, George Frederic Watts (1817-1904).
A section on Art and Artists will feature stereoscopic images of sculpture, staged recreations of paintings and artist studios, including a rare image of a Victorian female artist studio, that of Florence Small from the Watts Gallery Trust collection.
Victorian Life will shed light on the day-to-day life of Victorians through images created away from the formal photographer’s studio.
This section will also present work by Eliza Allen (née Calvert, 1816-1900), the only female photographer represented in the Archive. Allen was one of just a few women stereo photographers working in the early days of stereoscopy.
Travel will show how, with the arrival of stereoscopy, Victorians could be virtually transported to the wonders of the world, from Stonehenge to the Pyramids of Giza.
Finally, exploring the Victorian fascination with death and the occult, a Fantasy section featuring ‘Diableries’ – scenes of devils and skeletons in the underworld – and ghostly images will provide insight into the darker, more demonic side of stereoscopy.
Sir Brian May said:
“I’m very grateful to the Watts Gallery for hosting this exhibition entirely devoted to Stereoscopy. This will be the first opportunity for me and my curators to share with the public many original and digitally reproduced 3-D images from BMAS – the Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy. The archive now gives a home to the collection of stereo images I have been assembling for over sixty years.”
Dr Emily Burns, Curator at Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village, said:
“We’re delighted to partner with the Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy on this exciting project. Stereoscopy was the precursor for today’s virtual reality and digital 3D experiences. Many visitors to the Victorian Virtual Reality exhibition will be familiar with using View-Masters or watching films in 3D, but perhaps not so many will know that this fascination for making the 2D appear in more realistic relief has its origins in a Victorian craze that began over a century ago.”
Victorian Virtual Reality: Photographs from the Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy opens at Watts Gallery on 4 July 2023 (until 25 February 2024). A programme of events will accompany the exhibition.
For further information:
Smith Greenfield has partnered with Watts Gallery Trust – the charity responsible for maintaining Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village – to offer its Friends, Patrons and members access to its expert insurance services. And, through a special arrangement, when Friends of the Gallery take out or renew a policy through Smith Greenfield the charity will receive a donation. For further information, please visit wattsgallery.org.uk
Image: Sir Brian May holding one of his Steampunk Owl viewers. Photo: Denis Pellerin, 2022