While I was home in Massachusetts for vacation, I came across some old stereographs at a flea market in the western part of the state. They were goiung for $3 a piece. I bought so many I was able to talk the dealer down to about $2.50 each. I had never seen these type of photos before, or if I have, it has been a while. A sterograph consists of a rectangle of cardboard with an image reproduced twice (I only uploaded one-half of the St. Augustine image here). Apparently, stereographs were big in the early 20th century as a way of showing an image in 3-D: serving as a kind of pre-View Finder (which were really fun and popular when I was a kid, especially the Michale Jackson Thriller series. Do kids still use View Finders?)

Anyway, if you’re interested in stereographs, the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Mass., has one of the largest collections in the country. The AAS also has a great newspaper collection, which I’ll have to consult again if I am to finish my research an Darien, Georgia.

One of the more interesting stereographs I found was of St. Augustine Florida, which is the oldest town on the East Coast, founded by the Spanish in 1565 well before the English established Jamestown or Plymouth. It’s a place I’d like to visit in Florida. I’m a sucker for Spanish moss (which is neither Spanish nor moss). I’ve already been to Pensacola, Key West, and Miami. St. Augustine is colonial, and I always find the colonial cities the best to visit.