Unexpectedly Unearthing Three Victorian Female Stereoscopic Photographers
Presentation Type
Event
Start Date
8-3-2026 12:32 PM
Description
This presentation explores how three previously unknown 19th-century English female stereophotographers have appeared through both professional curatorial work and personal enthusiasm for local photographic history research. Of the two professional and one amateur stereographers, the presentation explores their personal backgrounds, motivations, and the context of their 3-D photography pursuits, bringing together, for the first time, a trio of women flying the flag for stereoscopy in a time when it was even more uncommon than it is now.
Rebecca Sharpe is a photographic history researcher, author, and practitioner, and has been working as a co-curator and archivist in the Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy for the past seven years. She founded the Stereoscopy Blog six years ago to help make stereoscopy accessible to everyone, promoting and educating about the multifaceted applications of the technique to people of all ages, experiences, and backgrounds.
Relational Format
Conference proceeding
Recommended Citation
Sharpe, Rebecca, "Unexpectedly Unearthing Three Victorian Female Stereoscopic Photographers" (2026). Women of Photography: A 24-Hour Conference-a-thon Celebrating International Women’s Day. 28.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/womenofphotography/2026/schedule/28
Unexpectedly Unearthing Three Victorian Female Stereoscopic Photographers
This presentation explores how three previously unknown 19th-century English female stereophotographers have appeared through both professional curatorial work and personal enthusiasm for local photographic history research. Of the two professional and one amateur stereographers, the presentation explores their personal backgrounds, motivations, and the context of their 3-D photography pursuits, bringing together, for the first time, a trio of women flying the flag for stereoscopy in a time when it was even more uncommon than it is now.
Rebecca Sharpe is a photographic history researcher, author, and practitioner, and has been working as a co-curator and archivist in the Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy for the past seven years. She founded the Stereoscopy Blog six years ago to help make stereoscopy accessible to everyone, promoting and educating about the multifaceted applications of the technique to people of all ages, experiences, and backgrounds.