This is the second post about autochrome stereoviews from the Great War. Read the first post for an introduction to colour photography during the First World War. This acquisition consists of 17 autochrome stereoviews in the 6x13cm format, packed in 5 cardboard boxes. The boxes are provided with titles and dates, which makes the collection… Continue reading Autochrome stereoviews of the Great War – part II
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Collodion negatives of a French soldier
A collection of three 13x18cm collodion glass plate negatives. The large size and the use of the wet plate collodion process makes it a rare acquisition. The images show an unknown French soldier, photographed in a studio. His kepi shows the number four, which means that he was part of the 4th Infantry Regiment. The… Continue reading Collodion negatives of a French soldier
Collection La Stéréoscopie Universelle
Glass stereoviews with images of the First World War are not rare, but a complete set of an original purchase with its documents is rare. This collection consists of a wooden box with two hundred slides in the 6x13cm format, a hand-held stereoscope, the original invoice and two catalogs. The stereoviews are published by La… Continue reading Collection La Stéréoscopie Universelle
The stereoviews of Alfred Charbonnier
The archive of La Section Photographique de l’Armée (SPA) contains 539 albums[1] with photos categorized by location or theme. The collection is now known as Album Valois, named after the location of the SPA archive at Rue de Valois in Paris[1]. The albums Meuse contain a series of photos of the battle of Verdun. At… Continue reading The stereoviews of Alfred Charbonnier
The SPCA in Audignicourt
This 6x13cm glass stereoview was published by La Stéréoscopie Universelle and has a caption “Audignicourt – Tank Renault – 9282”. It’s a rich image with good composition. Most interesting however is the person in the foreground. The soldier is photographing or filming. He photographs or films from a tripod, which indicates that he’s using heavy… Continue reading The SPCA in Audignicourt
The Nevers 1914 collection
A rare collection of 21 glass plate negatives with stereo images of the First World War. The slides provide an interesting insight into the mobilisation of the French army in Nevers during the first weeks of the conflict. The negatives are gelatin dry plates and have a size of 8x18cm. The slides are numbered and… Continue reading The Nevers 1914 collection
Paul Piotin collection
This story starts at a flea market in Sancerre, France. Guy Laluque is a collector of stereoscopy antiques and has a collection of approximately 700 stereoviews from the First World War. He bought a collection of cardboard boxes with 45x107mm stereoviews at a flea market. He studied the images and found the death certificate of the photographer. He… Continue reading Paul Piotin collection
Aerial stereo photography
The First World War was the first major conflict in which aerial photography played an important role. Aircraft were used to observe the enemy and to learn his intentions from the start of the First World War in July 1914. Observers made sketches and shared their observations on their return. Cameras were soon used to… Continue reading Aerial stereo photography
Gott strafe England
This stereoview shows a group of German prisoners of war guarded by French soldiers on horses. They’re walking along a house with the text Gott strafe England! 1914/15. The photo was taken in the village of Bucy-le-Long in Northern France. Gott strafe England (“May God punish England”) was a slogan used by the German army during the… Continue reading Gott strafe England
Autochrome stereoviews of the Great War – part I
Less than one-thousandth of the images from the First World War are colour images[1]. Most were produced by the photography unit of the French army, La Section Photographique et Cinématographique de l’Armée (SPCA). Photographers like Paul Castelnau, Fernand Cuville and Albert Samama Chikli made images by using the autochrome colour process at various locations of… Continue reading Autochrome stereoviews of the Great War – part I