Re: stereoviews

[P3D <AndyBurr@xxxxxxx>]

I've enjoyed the recent messages on antique stereographs and on what today's
photographers might shoot to interest collectors 100 years from now. Today's
collectors prize stereoviews of what must at the time have seemed mundane
photographic subjects (the garbage trucks of the 1870s) and the work of the
stereoscopic photojournalists much more than the vintage "artistic"
stereographs: the landscapes, still lifes, floral arrangements, and
allegorical scenes that were so popular at the time. 

There are several "tissue" fans among the collectors on the list. I rarely
come across them here in Florida. John Saddy often has them in his stereo
auctions, and they seem to sell in the $7-$20 each range for typical
subjects. How much in Rochester, Rick? I recently saw several Ferrier &
Soulier "Instantanee" stereographs on glass for sale in a $20 each range.
Does anyone know if this is reasonable or normal? Though a bit pricey for me,
I'm thinking about getting one just to see what it's like.

Regarding favorite stereographers, in my limited experience some of the 19th
century photographers who stand out are (as mentioned by our friend in
Edinburgh) GW Wilson and Valentine, both of whom seem to have the rare
combination of technical skill and an artist's sensibility. I like the early
Anthony views, too, partly because of higher than usual technical ability (so
it seems to me) and the fact that the camera seems so often to have been
focused on ordinary streetscapes, with people behaving normally, going about
their business. While I haven't seen enough examples to form an opinion on
artistic quality, the technical quality of F.J. Haynes stereoviews seems
exceptional. Can anyone comment pro or con on Haynes? Who are some other
exceptional 19th century stereographers?

While we're on stereoviews: I'm trying to fill the HC White set on the
General Slocum disaster, a New York riverboat disaster. Anyone have some for
sale or trade?
Thanks all,
Andy Burr
Winter Park, FL



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