John A. Broadbooks Stereography Collection
Scope and Contents
About 5255 stereographs arranged by topic, stereograph sets and more than 15 viewers. The stereographs feature locations in the U.S. and worldwide; events, including diasters and exhibitions; industry; science and nature; and culture and art. The collection also includes boxed sets highlighting world tours, education, and for optometry diagnosis.
Dates
- Creation: 1860s–2003
Creator
- Broadbooks, John A. (Person)
Note on Use of Collections
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Copyright
It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Board of Governors for Truman State University, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.
Historical Note
Stereograph cards feature two nearly identical photographs which, when viewed through a stereoscope, show a single three-dimensional image. At the height of their popularity in the 1890s through the 1930s, many middle-class families had a stereoscope and cards to view travel destinations and nature. Millions of stereograph cards were produced by commercial and amateur photographers. Later, collectors, like John A. Broadbooks, amassed these dual-image cards and often divided their collections into subjects and themes. Stereograph cards are usually mounted and have caption information about the card. The mount also sometimes provides information about the publisher and/or photographer.
Extent
18.75 linear feet
Language of Materials
English
French
German
Spanish; Castilian
Arrangement
The collection has series and subseries. The collector’s original subseries were retained, and placed alphabetically in the appropriate series.
- Locations
- Events
- Industry
- Science and Nature
- Culture
- Art
- Miscellaneous
- Boxed Sets
- Sets
- Viewers
Immediate Source of Acquisition
John A. Broadbooks donated his personal collection of stereographs and stereoscopes to Special Collections and Museums in 2018, while his grandson was a student at Truman State University.
Physical Description
14 linear feet
Function
Genre / Form
Topical
- Title
- John A. Broadbooks Stereography Collection
- Status
- In Progress
- Subtitle
- MS B8
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Will Wood, Nora Rechtien, Emily O'Leary and Joshna Karki.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Truman State University, Pickler Memorial Library, Special Collections Manuscripts Repository