P3D Institutions vs. collectors vs. family

[fj834@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Dr. George A. Themelis)]

I hope it is clear that Mary Ann and myself are motivated by our interest
for 3d to approach the subject from different directions.  

To summarize:  Donating personal images to museums or any place that will
maintain them and allow access to the public is a noble cause, but finding
such place might be a problem.  Selling them to collectors is also a good
idea, since the collectors will care for them and will make sure that they
pass them along to good hands.  Keeping them in the family, as Charlie
suggests, might be the best idea if one is lucky enough to have a family
that cares.

I am a collector of stereo images because I like to look and study (and
learn from) the stereo images and not because I hope to make money from
them.  When the time comes I'll make sure that these images are not thrown
away but go to people or institutions that will care for them.  Collectors
who care for their collections (most do) is a good home for these slides. 
Not every picture is "museum" quality.  Donating everything to a place like
the NSA library might be a mistake because it is impossible to maintain
everything.  

I once had a guy in his early 40s come to my house to sell his dad's
Realist camera and viewer.  Included in the lot were a few boxes of stereo
slides that he did not want to keep.  Later, I looked through his slides
and recognized himself as a young kid standing next to his parents in trips
to New York, Washington DC, etc.  I thought they were charming and wondered
why he let those pictures go.  I was tempted to make prints (color
photocopies actually) and send them to him but could not find his address
and lost interest with time...  

Like Charlie, I too wonder why some people don't want to keep these
precious family stereo slides.  All I can do is make sure that my own
children do not do the same for my slides (i.e. give them away to the
person who buys my Realist)  If they cannot appreciate what they have, at
least they should be smart enough to make some money out of it.  Chances
are that the person who buys them will care more for them, especially if he
pays a respectable sum of money to buy them.  Many times people's interest
and care of their property is a direct function of what they paid for it. 
Giving your collection of stereo slides FOR FREE to someone who does not
care much about it, might be a mistake... (this "someone" can be an
institution too).

George Themelis


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