Weg van de Innere Altstadt naar de Innere Neustadt in Dresden. In de verte de Kreuzkirche 1861 - 1862

This stereoscopic photograph, "Weg van de Innere Altstadt naar de Innere Neustadt in Dresden. In de verte de Kreuzkirche," was made by an anonymous photographer using the wet collodion process, a technique which dominated photography from the mid-19th century. To create the image, a glass plate was coated with light-sensitive chemicals, exposed in a large format camera, and then developed immediately. This painstaking process required great technical skill, and, as you can see, resulted in a crisp and detailed image, despite the challenges of capturing a busy street scene. The monochromatic tonality and inherent sharpness of the wet collodion lend this work a sense of clarity, freezing a moment in time, and creating a window into 19th-century Dresden. Stereoscopic photography, which involves taking two images simultaneously with slightly offset lenses, simulates human binocular vision. When viewed through a stereoscope, like the one that would have been used at the time, the photograph comes alive with an illusion of three-dimensionality. By experiencing the space through this technology, the viewer is transported into the bustling street. Ultimately, this photographic print, more than just a picturesque view, offers a fascinating glimpse into the culture of a time.