Gezicht op het Forum Romanum te Rome c. 1850 - 1880

This stereoscopic photograph, showing the Roman Forum, was produced by Luigi Felici in Rome. It's made using a fascinating industrial process. Two nearly identical photographs were taken at the same time and then mounted side by side. When viewed through a special stereoscope, the image appeared three-dimensional. The Forum here looks like a construction site, with visible ruins, ancient columns, and piles of rubble. This seemingly straightforward image was part of a significant shift in photographic practices, intended for mass consumption. By the latter half of the 19th century, there was a growing market for images from afar, as tourism became increasingly popular. This is where the stereoscope comes in. It wasn't just about seeing the world; it was about experiencing it in a tangible, almost tactile way, without the actual costs and labor of travel. The creation of the stereoview itself represents a shift from fine art photography to industrialized production. Although artists like Felici were still credited, the work involved many hands, from taking the photographs to developing, printing, and mounting them.