New Exhibit! Victorian Photography

The Victorian period was an era of massive expansion in technologies that promoted mass production on an unprecedented scale- affecting a large majority of industries around the world- including photogrpahy.

One of Ericson's photos of a wharf. Cat #: 1962.18.1A

Before film, the most popular medium for photos were daguerreotypes, tin types, and cartes de visite. Daguerrotypes and tintypes could rarely be duplicated, but with the creation of cartes de visite, photos could be reproduced on a scale never seen before. Out of the three cameras on display, one belonged to Humboldt county’s very own A.W. Ericson who began his photography journey in 1879. 

Ericson’s work was well-received within the community and beyond, with the improvements in photography technology that allowed for mass production of images. Ericson’s work functioned frequently as the window into Humboldt County- appearing in many different expositions across the country like the Panama-Pacific International Exposition and widely published as postcards and prints.

​Another style of photography was the stereogram which was announced in 1851. It was a surface that held two slightly different images side by side, and when inserted in the stereoscope, the viewer would see the two 2D images become one 3D image. This photography style continued into modern times, and today the most popular example is the View-Master.

By the end of the 19th century cameras were more readily available for the masses and photography quickly became a popular hobby. Because of photography’s popularity, many competing manufacturers were creating new processes and tools during this time. Some of the companies that are still widely known today such as the Eastman Kodak Company originated in this period. George Eastman released the invention of photographic film in 1883 and released the Kodak film camera in 1888, making photography more accessible to the hobbyist.

The display in the Victorian room includes cameras, examples of a variety of Victorian photos from the Clarke Collections, and a photo shoot in progress. A usable stereoscope will also be available for viewing 3D images. 

This exhibit was created and curated by Community Curator Hannah Denton. Text and Photos are also by Hannah Denton.