[Chestnut Street, East of Fourth Street (Philadelphia: James Cremer], photographed ca. 1867, published ca. 1875). Albumen print on stereograph mount.

 

Stereographs, which produced a three-dimensional image when viewed through a stereoviewer, were a popular 19th-century leisure activity. The photographs often depicted commercial cityscapes that served not only as entertainment, but also as advertisements. These stereographs (top to bottom) show the lithographic establishments of Maurice H. Traubel at 409 Chestnut Street from about 1858 to 1872 (center building adorned with rifle in image), Theodore Leonhardt at 114 South Third Street from 1868 to 1871 (right in image), and Stein & Jones at 321 Chestnut Street from 1859 to 1868 (left in image).

 

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