[Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire, UK, Looking West]
While this somewhat unconventional vista might not do justice to the dramatic monastic ruins of Fountains Abbey, it perfectly suits the practice of stereoscopic photography. When looked at through a special viewer, the two slightly offset photographs of the cloistered nave form a perfect illusion of three-dimensional depth. The only object obstructing this long view is a carefully placed stereoscopic camera (its twin lenses are visible through magnification). In thus revealing the means by which it has been made, the photograph moves beyond mere documentation of the ruins (which are among the largest and best preserved in England), to function as a concrete lesson in binocular vision and an ingenious reminder of the magic of photography.
Artwork Details
- Title: [Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire, UK, Looking West]
- Artist: Unknown (British)
- Date: 1855–1870
- Medium: Albumen silver prints
- Dimensions: Image: 2 7/8 × 2 7/8 in. (7.3 × 7.3 cm), each
Mount: 3 3/8 in. × 6 7/8 in. (8.5 × 17.5 cm) - Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Funds fom various donors, 2020
- Object Number: 2020.169
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
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