Interieur van de Sint-Vituskathedraal of Katedrála svatého Víta, Hradčany, Praag

This stereoscopic photograph of the interior of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague was made by František Fridrich sometime in the late 19th century. Stereoscopic photographs like this one were created as a form of entertainment, and were produced in vast quantities. The industrialized photographic process allowed the relatively easy creation of images, and were sold for mass consumption. But the photograph also documents the slow, painstaking labour that went into the cathedral itself. Consider the highly skilled work of the stonemasons, glaziers, and other craftspeople who built and decorated the cathedral over centuries. The photograph collapses the time and effort of the cathedral’s making into a single, easily reproducible image. Paying attention to the process of making, and the materials used, helps us understand the complex relationship between labor, art, and the wider culture.