The Stereopticon: See how Rockland promoted itself in the late 1800s

Wed, 07/16/2014 - 12:45pm

ROCKLAND — In the 1870s local photographer Frank Crockett produced stereo cards to promote Rockland by showing busy commercial streets, hotels, churches, schools, mansions of the rich, seaside views of shipyards and fishing boats, and the productive lime quarries. As he became more and more busy, Crockett hired James P. Armbrust of Vinalhaven to take the stereo photos, and Crockett published them. Today the images by Crockett and Armbrust give a comprehensive view of Rockland in the 1870s.

Stereopticons were a popular Victorian form of entertainment. Photographs were taken using a stereo camera with two lenses, side by side. The double photographs were mounted on stereo cards which were viewed through a stereopticon — a hand-held device that had two magnifying lenses, side by side. When a stereo card was placed in the slot in front of the lenses, the double image appeared to be almost in 3-D. Stereo cards were sold in boxed sets, most often to promote tourist destinations.

Last year the Rockland Historical Society received a grant from the Maine Memory Network at the Maine Historical Society in Portland. The Maine Memory Network is a digital museum that provides free access to historical photographs and artifacts from more than 250 historical societies and museums throughout the state of Maine.

The grant was to scan and catalog images of Rockland in the 1870s from the society’s extensive stereo card collection, and to produce a slide show titled “Promoting Rockland through a stereopticon, 1875.”

The images were scanned for the Maine Memory Network by Rockland librarians Dan O’Connor and Patty King, and by Rockland Historical Society member Kathy deRochemont. Ann Morris, the curator of the Rockland Historical Society, cataloged the images and wrote the script for the slide show.

The slide show of 34 images and approximately 100 other images of Rockland will be available on the Maine Memory Network website forever. The slide show is a featured exhibit of the Maine Memory Network website for the month of July.

Images may be purchased from the Maine Memory Network, and the Rockland Historical Society receives 50 percent of the proceeds from such sales.

For some cool summer cultural entertainment, just Google “Maine Memory Network,” and click on “Exhibits,” and “Promoting Rockland through a Stereopticon, 1875.” You will think you were there.