3D Victorian Horror: The Diableries; Eposode 10 of The Midnight Archive

A new episode of The Midnight Archive--the web-based documentary series centered around Observatory--has just been uploaded and can be viewed above. In this episode we learn about--and view in graphic and gorgeous detail!--the Diableries, Victorian hand-colored stereo views depicting daily life in hell and peopled with skeletons, lovely ladies, and the devil himself, and in infernal colors and glorious 3D.

The creator of The Midnight Archive--Film-maker and many-time Observatory lecturer Ronni Thomas--says about this episode:

This episode brings this whole series and experience full circle. In a lot of ways, the topic here--‘Death and Devils in 3D’--is what brought me to this even bigger world. A few years back, I’d given my first ‘lecture’ at Observatory at the request of my friend Joanna. Assuming nobody would show up, I agreed and was promptly shocked and inspired by just how amazing the turnout had been. All to see my collection of 19th century 3D devil tissues... And more than that--the crowd was a delightful mixed bag. From Mensa to Princeton to the street punks and dregs, from the curious to the satanic... Truly inspiring. And so here is my own entry into the archive--please be kind--I hate being on camera but, what the “Hell”... I’m particularly proud of the way we treated the slides. The idea was to give more of the 3D/color effect to the Diableries than simple scans would give you. My ultimate dream is to film the entire series in 3D and set it to music (wink wink at the Real Tuesday Weld)--kept it brief and informal--I am aware of a very comprehensive book currently in the works on the series being done in part by Brian May (Queen’s guitar player and avid stereoscopic fan) so keep your eyes opened! Enjoy!

For more on the series, to see former episodes, or to sign up for the mailing list and thus be alerted to future uploads, visit The Midnight Archive website by clicking here. You can also "like" it on Facebook--and be alerted in this way--by clicking here. You can find out more about Observatory by clicking here. You can find out more about Roni Thomas by clicking here.

“The Widow’s Mite,” Stereograph, Photographer Unknown, circa 1876

“The Widow’s Mite”
Stereograph, Photographer unknown, circa 1876
[From the Library of Congress]

From Turn of the Century blog, who sourced it from Liquidnight.

The Bassett Stereoscopic Dissection Collection in the New York Times!

In the science section of today's New York Times, there is an article about the amazing Bassett Stereoscopic Dissection Collection (as discussed in greater detail in a previous Morbid Anatomy Post.) The project was a collaboration between William Gruber, the inventor of the View-Master, and Dr. David L. Bassett of Stanford University. The product: the 25-volume “Stereoscopic Atlas of Human Anatomy” released in 1962 consisting of thousands of images illustrating human anatomy (see above) on hundreds of View-Master reels.

The article touches on the history of the project, the partnership between Bassett and Gruber, and how the collection was received when it was released. It goes on to detail Stanford University's plans to digitize the collection and charge access to it; those with 3d glasses will be able to view them on their computer in their original 3-dimensional glory.

Check out the full article here; check out the slide show here. And click here to see the Flickr page launched by Stanford to showcase the images.

Thanks so much to Pam of Phantasmaphile for sending this my way.

Bassett Stereoscopic Dissection Collection (1962)

A small sampling of Stanford University School of Medicine's renowned "Bassett Collection" has been uploaded to Flickr! I really love this new direction Flickr has been taking, working with museums to showcase their collections. (For more on this, see recent posts on Library of Congress and National Museum of Health and Medicine.)

The "Bassett Collection" is more, however, than just a group of beautiful dissection photos; it is also a View-Master set! No joke. This collection premiered in 1962 as the Stereoscopic Atlas of Human Anatomy. This set consisted of 221 View-Master reels of 1,554 color, stereoscopic dissection photos, along with an informational booklet explaining the images. The collection, a collaboration between dissectionist David L. Bassett and View-Master inventor William Gruber, was popular right from the start; when Bassett first exhibited the images, there were lines around the block of people waiting to see them.

This month, they will be released in a new format altogether--online, and with highlighted labeling and audio narration, presumably for a fee. You can view a sampling of the images, fee-free, on Flickr.

Read more about the collection and its history (and future) here. View the Flickr page here. Images of Atlas above from a recent, edited re-release. Thanks to Mike Sappol for sending this along!