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Bassist John Deacon (left) and drummer Roger Taylor (right) of the band Queen.
Photo taken by Brian May.
Brian May collection.
at and appreciate the value of each image. Not the monetary
value, of course—although there are some very greedy
sellers around who would have you believe that any stereo
card which is more than fifty years of age is worth more
than its weight in gold—but the historical, sociological, or
photographical value of the image, the information it brings,
the details it reveals, its composition along the depth axis,
or the simple stories it often tells about the subject photographed
and, occasionally, about the photographer. There
are still plenty of occasions when what I am looking at baffles
me and I wish I could get more clues from the view itself or
from the faces of the people I discover there. If stereos could
speak! How much more would be understood about these
fascinating images. Since they cannot, we must keep looking
for more clues, more information, more facts; publish more
articles, more books; because from time to time, something
comes up that adds a piece to this gigantic jigsaw puzzle.
Can I experience stereo cards the way the Victorians did? I
don’t think so, but I strive to find some tips in the writings
of the time that can help me better understand their state of
mind, what made them tick, what captured their attention
and grabbed their imagination. I keep trying and will keep
on doing so. And in the meantime, I can only second Oliver
Wendell Holmes’ passionate declaration:
Oh, infinite volumes of poems that I treasure in this
small library of glass and pasteboard!…
56 :: bokeh