Exchanging Stereoscopic Views with the Stereoscopic Exchange Club and United Stereoscopic Society

As part of the RPS Historical Group's series of talks looking at historical collections of photography, photographic archives, and those working historical and alternative processes this talk Exchanging Views with the Stereoscopic Exchange Club and the United Stereoscopic Society will explore the history of two stereoscopic exchanges clubs, each formed about half a century apart, in 1859 and 1904, after collections of their images have been discovered in the Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy (BMAS) and the Howarth Loomes Collection at National Museums Scotland (NMS). The talk will be introduced by Dr David Barber, photo-historian and Group secretary. Whilst one club was short-lived and the other was one of the most successful of its kind for over 60 years, the presentations will provide a contrast to the different approaches to the exchange of photographs between amateur photographers, including bringing members ‘back to life’ to share their opinions. Rebecca Sharpe will share the Stereoscopic Exchange Club’s foundations, trials and tribulations, as well as successes through its correspondence, whilst highlighting some of its members and their life stories. The presentation will exclusively include stereoscopic photographs from a rediscovered set belonging to a member of the club, as well as exploring further into the collections of BMAS to discover images taken by other members. Julie Gibb will take the story into the 20th century and share the work of the United Stereoscopic Society (USS). Formed in 1904 by Albert J Snow, the society boasted an international membership who were keen to share their enthusiasm for stereophotography with the wider photographic community. We will focus on a set of stereo photographs in the Howarth Loomes collection created by USS member J W Vaisey that give a valuable and humorous insight into the exchange aspect of the society. Please note, the presentations will include side-by-side parallel-view stereoscopic images. Viewing them in 3-D can be possible either by free-viewing, or with a stereoscope, such as the London Stereoscopic Company’s OWL, however, this is not essential to enjoy the images.