Quidi Vidi Harbour in NL c1899
Toronto. … stereo cards. These often well photographed three dimensional cards gave folks entertainment and education before the many ‘opiates’ of the 20th century became common place (as a child in the 1940s, I was enthralled with a relative’s ‘basket’ of stereo cards and viewer).
Stereo card groups or themes entertained the masses, offered travelogues, taught us medicine and other esoteric topics best seen in 3D for clarity. While long replaced by movies, radio, television, video, and internet sites, collectors pick up interesting cards for their collections; cards often available at our events like the trunk sale this summer.
The cover shot for issue 23-4 shows one half of a travelogue stereo card introducing its viewers to the beauties of Newfoundland. The card shows Quidi Vidi harbour in Newfoundland just before the start of the 20th century.
Editor (late) Bob Lansdale describes the scene as follows, “Stereo card #13173 by B.W. Kilburn of Littleton, N.H. provides our cover image. Inscribed: Beautiful Kitty Vitty the scene shows the harbour of Quidi Vidi in Newfoundland. Kilburn copyrighted the image in 1899. James M. Davis, as primary distributor, has his name imprinted on most cards.”
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