Come to life” realism

View‐Master reels and the legacy of stereoscopic imperialism

Bibliographic Data

ID12410344
AuthorsGabbi Guedes (0000-0001-9175-0031, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume40
Issue1
Pages39-51
Publication date2024-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueVisual Anthropology Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1058-7187 • E-ISSN: 1548-7458
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/var.12322
OpenAlexW4392966472
LanguageEN
References cited17

I argue that View‐Master reels upheld the colonial legacy of previous stereoscopic depictions of Indigenous subjects while inaugurating new methods of asserting power in exhibition via its ease of use and “black‐box” structure. Further, focusing on the instrumentalization of stereoscopy allows us to think through how these images intervene in the history of the representation of Indigenous subjects across image media and histories of photographic technology and consumption. In sum, although stereoscopy functions as a marketable tool for narrativizing colonial power, its affective qualities and historical contexts complicate fantasies of unilateral viewing and domination and bring forth histories of resistance

Aesthetics · Art · Realism · Sociology · Stereoscopy · Visual arts · Australian History and Society · Computer Science · Artificial Intelligence

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