Drawing of the Verascpe Stereo Camera in late 1800s. From Brian Coe’s book “CAMERAS”
Toronto. … Le Verascope. When the dry plate process and later film became common place, would-be photographers no longer needed to understand the art. Hence the art opened to the far wider world of amateurs. The down side as the process became simpler was a sharp drop in image quality as noted in an article in our Journal issue 19-5.
In late fall of 1993, Pierre Tavlitzki published an article in French on the 100 year anniversary of the famous French Verascope Stereo camera in the Bulletin Mensuel du Stéréo Club Français, Nr 773. (Tavlitzki’s article gives a fascinating history of photography and cameras from the viewpoint of stereo image creators.)
A few months later, with the author’s permission, an English translation of his article was reproduced in issue 19-5 of our Journal. Titled, “100 Years of Verascope” by Pierre Tavlitzki, the translation begins, “In a way, the year 1893 saw the beginning of amateur stereo photography, due in large part to Jules Richard, inventor of the Verascope. Just before that time, stereo was out of fashion.
“43 years before, another Frenchman, Jules Duboscq, equally skilled in the manufacture of precision instruments, began mass production of stereoscopes. Stereo remained the domain of professionals who kept the quality high until 1875, before it declined into badly taken, badly framed and badly mounted work typical of that period which followed.
“Photography had similar problems. Before 1878 [when dry plate photography became common] the photographer had to sensitise his own plates just before use [wet plate photography] and it was necessary to have a taste (knowledge of?) for chemistry, as shown by articles read in the publication of the Société Français de Photographie, before plunging into the photographic experience.
“Negative material ready to use, in gelatine-bromide dry plate form [Richard Maddox 1871], and then readily available in rolls, thanks to Eastman (1884), were the first step which made amateur photography a reality. Without the foregoing, there would have been no Kodak (1888), no film on transparent base (1889), no motion pictures. …”
To read the rest of this article, just follow the usual drill: View the pdf file for 19-5 on the free members-only DVD. Not a member? Read the MEMBERSHIP sub-menu above (Membership Form) and the article at right (PayPal). Send your cheque with the form or send the form and use a credit card/your PayPal account. Questions? Email Lilianne at member@phsc.ca. So easy. So simple. So inexpensive.
