In an age of instant prints and digital video, why would a youngish fellow madly pursue the collection of goofy old cameras and black and white 3D photos. Simply stated, I love old mechanical things, and am fascinated by pre electronic civilization. Turn of the century stereo equipment and photos speak to the heart of my interests.
While some collectors prefer the images of accomplished commercial photographers, I prefer those of the amateur. True, production values can be spotty, and many of these folks had a terrible eye for composition, but their candid approach is honest. Commercial images were often carefully contrived and thus lack life.
The photo above comes from a stereo pair included in a small collection of 6 x 13 glass slides. Being unlabeled, we'll never know when, where or who. However, these two men, long since dead, survive in a moment. What did they think of the pasty white tourist shooting the photo? The tourist obviously thought the headgear worthy of recording. Unlike today's universe of unlimited digital photos. Our photographer had a limited number of fragile glass plates. He had to choose his photos wisely.
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