Brug over een rivier in het bos van Saint-Gratien c. 1855 - 1865

This stereo card of a bridge over a river in the forest of Saint-Gratien was made by Furne Fils & H. Tournier. It’s a photographic print, and it was intended to be viewed through a stereoscope, a popular form of entertainment in the 19th century. The process of making stereo cards involved specialized equipment, skilled technicians, and a division of labor to produce these images at scale. The card is made of paper, but the photographic emulsion on the surface gives it a unique sheen and texture. The color has been added by hand, most likely by workers in a factory setting. Stereo cards were commodities produced and consumed on a mass scale, offering viewers a sense of experiencing the world through photographs. This invites us to consider the complex relationship between art, industry, labor, and consumer culture in the 19th century. Hopefully, this encourages us to think about the many hands and processes involved in bringing images like these to life.