[Pair of Stereograph Views of Early Automobiles] 1902 - 1903

Editor: This gelatin-silver print, taken between 1902 and 1903 by C.H. Graves, shows a pair of stereograph views depicting some seriously early automobiles. I am immediately struck by its vintage, old-timey charm – it almost feels like peering into a forgotten chapter of history. What are your initial thoughts when you look at this, especially concerning the way the composition and historical background interplay? Curator: This piece hums with the quiet audacity of invention, doesn't it? When I look at those cars, poised between the familiar comfort of horse-drawn carriages and the roaring future, I sense a pivotal moment in human history. The almost identical doubling—stereograph—seems apt, a doubling down on technology's impact. Note how the surrounding landscape and the architecture – the porch, the palm trees – act as gentle anchors, grounding this symbol of rapid progress in a pre-existing reality. Almost a 'before and after' snapshot – though presented simultaneously! What do you suppose it must have felt like to see one of these chugging along the road for the first time? Editor: It is like they were aliens. And they seem so out of place compared to their backdrop. Did the novelty wear off fast back then, or did it feel momentous for an extended period? Curator: Ah, that's the beauty of photographs like these! They're documents of both arrival and integration. The car’s intrusion is a jolt, then we remember someone actually lived alongside these “invaders." In a way, we continue to adapt ourselves. Each technological 'wonder' gets domesticated with time... or do we, too, become changed in the process, hmmm? What have you taken from our 'trip' back in time? Editor: The way you tied its historical context into how people see technology today, I learned something very useful about seeing both the present and the future when examining historical art!