Biographical / Historical
Scope and Contents
Preferred Citation
Arrangement
Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Processing Information
Related Materials
Bibliography
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Title: Panama Stereocard Collection
Identifier/Call Number: MSS-2015-04-20
Physical Description:
1 Box
Physical Description:
.3 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1904-1907
Abstract: The Panama Stereocard collection consists of thirty-six cards published by Underwood and Underwood featuring scenes in the
Republic of Panama from the first decade of the 20th century. Stereograph views were a very popular entertainment medium predating
television and film. Stereograph views were produced in the millions by photographers all over the world. The set contains
photographs of citizens on water ways, rural scenes in villages, the daily lives and work of the indigenous people, urban
scenes featuring modern paved streets, political leaders, and scenic views of the countryside. This collection also portrays
the early stages of the construction of the Panama Canal, which began in 1904 and was completed in 1914, led by the United
States Corps of Engineers. The cards are contained in an Underwood Company box.
Biographical / Historical
Stereographs became a very popular entertainment medium from the 1850s to the 1930s, though a few companies continued to produce
stereographic images until the 1970s. Invented in England in 1854 by the London Stereoscopic Company, the novelty and attraction
of stereograph formats spread across Europe and the United States. Many different photographic processes were used to produce
stereographs, including daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, wet plate glass positives, salt paper prints, albumen prints, and gelatin
prints. Stereographs were formed of two images placed side by side and mounted on cardboard. They were commonly produced with
cameras that had two lenses side by side. Stereographic cards were produced in the millions by photographers all over the
world.
Stereographs provided a popular entertainment medium predating television and film. Keystone and Underwood produced stereographic
sets packaged in box sets with spines that resembled classic book bindings, accompanied by descriptive guide books written
by recognized scholars, copyrighted maps depicting the exact location of the photograph, and the arrangement of sets by subject
intended for primary and secondary school instruction. Stereographic views cover a diverse range of subjects and include topographic
views, local history, events, industries and trade, urban and country life, portraits of famous people, and the production
of box sets of World War I and World War II. The box sets ranged in size from 50 to 200 images per box, and were viewed through
a stereoscope, which produced a unique three-dimensional (3-D) effect
The collection represented here documents the life and culture of the people of Panama from the first decade of the 20th century
in rural and urban areas shortly following Panama's independence from Columbia in 1903. The set contains photographs of citizens
on the water ways, rural scenes in villages, the daily lives and work of the indigenous people, urban scenes featuring modern
paved streets, political leaders, and scenic views of the countryside. The collection also portrays the early stages of the
construction of the Panama Canal which began in 1904 and was completed in 1914, led by the United States Corps of Engineers.
The cards are contained in an Underwood Company box.
Scope and Contents
The Panama Stereocard Collection consists of thirty-six cards published by Underwood & Underwood. Stereographs provided a
very popular entertainment medium predating television and film with millions of stereograph views produced by photographers
all over the world. The collection represented here documents the life and culture of the people of Panama from the first
decade of the 20th century in rural and urban areas shortly following Panama's independence from Columbia in 1903. The set
contains photographs of citizens on water ways, rural scenes in villages, the daily lives and work of the indigenous people,
urban scenes featuring modern paved streets, political leaders, and scenic views of the countryside. This collection also
portrays the early stages of construction of the Panama Canal, which began in 1904 and was completed in 1914, led by the United
States Corps of Engineers. An explorer's travel log describing the stereocard with the citation "From Notes of Travel No.
40" copyrighted 1907 by Underwood is found enverso on many of the cards. The cards are contained in an Underwood Company box.
Preferred Citation
The Panama Stereocard Collection, MSS-2015-04-20, San Jose State University Library, Special Collections & Archives.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into one series: Series I: Panama Stereocards, 1904-1907
Conditions Governing Access
This Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright is not assigned to the San José State University Special Collections & Archives. All of the images published before
1923 reside in the public domain. All requests for permission to publish or quote from the collection must be submitted in
writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Special Collections &
Archives, as owners of the physical collection. Copyright restrictions may apply to digital reproductions of the original
materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
Processing Information
Processed by: Lisa Zakharova; Finding Aid Created in Archives Space by :Lisa Zakharova; Reviewed by: Danelle Moon
Related Materials
Bibliography
Darrah, William Culp.
Stereo Views: A History of Stereographs in America and Their Collection. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: Times and News Publishing Co., 1964.
Ritzenthaler, Mary Lynn.
Photographs: Archival Care And Management. Society of American Archivists, 2006.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Underwood & Underwood
Education -- Geography
Panama Canal
Panama -- History
Stereographs