"Deserted Chamber" 1866

This stereoscopic view of Mammoth Cave was produced by Chas. Waldack, probably sometime in the 1860s, using the wet collodion process. This involved coating a glass plate with light-sensitive chemicals, exposing it in the camera while still wet, and then developing it immediately. Consider the labour that went into this image. The photographer would have needed to transport fragile equipment and chemicals into the cave itself. Moreover, given the low light conditions, the exposure would have been achieved with a dangerous flare of magnesium. This was a performative act of photography, intended for mass consumption. The resulting image, mass-produced as a stereo card, would then offer viewers the sensation of being present in the cave, a simulation of three-dimensionality. In this way, the image becomes a commodity, transforming an experience of place into a collectible object, ready for consumption within the rising tourist industry. So next time you see one of these, think of the economic system that made it possible.