For the first time at Watts Gallery, discover an exhibition dedicated to a 19th century craze that saw the birth of 3D images. Victorian Virtual Reality: Photographs from the Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy will present highlights from the Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy to explore the 19th-century photography craze that, for the first time, enabled pictures to appear in 3D.
Featuring over 150 stereoscopic photographs, experience how this lesser-known Victorian innovation continues to captivate today through a range of viewers and digital techniques.
Discover the 19th-century art of stereoscopy, which saw a second wave of popularity in the mid-20th century. It was at that time that the young Sir Brian May – later the lead guitarist for Queen – began his passion for this photographic phenomenon and formed his world-leading collection of stereoscopy.
Through viewers, stereoscopic photographs and interactive elements, explore topics such as celebrity portraits, snapshots of Victorian life, scenes of satire and devilry found in Sir Brian May’s collection. Stereoscopic photographs and other artwork from Watts Gallery Trust’s own collection will feature among the loaned works.
Victorian Virtual Reality will be the first exhibition at Watts Gallery dedicated to stereoscopy. It will open with an introduction to the stereoscopy and early images from Sir Brian May’s collection, including his first ever stereocard – the Weetabix hippos - and examples of the earliest viewing devices and photographs of Victorians at home, sharing and viewing their own collections of images.
Victorian Virtual Reality
4 July 2023 – 25 February 2024
Watts Gallery, Down Lane, Compton, Surrey, GU3 1DQ
See: https://www.wattsgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/victorian-virtual-reality
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