ARTICLE
India Through the Stereoscope: A Journey Through Hindustan
Published by Underwood & Underwood, USA in 1904, India Through the Stereoscope: A Journey Through Hindustan is a two-part publication photographed and authored by James Ricalton. The first part is a boxed set of a 100 stereoscopic views of India and the other is a 400-page book containing detailed descriptions of the images along with a small booklet of ten maps, marking the locations of the different views.
Each of the 100 cards is 9 x 17.8 cm in size and comprises a pair of albumen prints mounted on one side, with a brief description of the images at the back of the card. Consisting of urban and provincial scenes from Bombay (now Mumbai), Calcutta (now Kolkata), Agra, Cashmere (now Kashmir), Darjeeling and Madura (now Madurai) among other places, the stereographs are mostly architectural or ethnographic views shot by Ricalton between 1891–1900.
The images from India Through the Stereoscope were republished as a part of the Tour of the World collection by Keystone View Company in 1920.
Bibliography
Artstor Library. “India Through the Stereoscope: A Journey Through Hindustan » 74. H. H. the Maharaja of Gwalior at Home, One of the Richest Men in the World.” Accessed July 15, 2021.
https://library.artstor.org/#/public/SS37317_37317_37675519
StoryLTD. “UNDERWOOD AND UNDERWOOD.” Accessed July 15, 2021.
https://www.storyltd.com/auction/item.aspx?eid=4127&lotno=10
The South Asia Collection. “Stereoscope and Stereographs.” Accessed July 15, 2021. https://thesouthasiacollection.co.uk/object-of-the-month/stereoscope-1901-and-stereographs-india-1903/
Sharma, Brij Bhushan. “James Ricalton — an American photographer in India.” History of Photography 11, no. 1 (1987): 53–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/03087298.1987.10443768.
