Stereograph Collector - Craig Goldwyn Interview

Craig Goldwyn is a writer and photographer based in the Chicago area. Among his specialties are stereo photography. In the following interview, we talk about his world-class collection of stereographs.

ephemera: When did you become interested in stereographs?

Goldwyn: As a boy, I loved View Master pictures and how effective they were at transporting me to the place. I later discovered stereocards and the role they played in history. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, until pictures became cheap and easy to reproduce in newspapers, stereocards were in most middle and upper class homes. They were the television of the day. I have been involved in photography since high school in the '60s, and in 1999 I bought a 1948 Stereo Realist camera and began experimenting with making stereocards.

ephemera: What challenges or obstacles do you encounter as you build your collection?

Goldwyn: Actually, it was quite easy in 1999 and the next few years. eBay was still relatively new and prices were reasonable, even cheap. Now the prices have soared. My collection grows because people contact me via my website

after they clean the attic. Digital scanning and PayPal have made it easy to evaluate and buy from anywhere. And collecting stereocards and View-Master reels has another advantage. I can fit a�lot of items in a dresser of drawers. Storage is cheap and easy!

ephemera: What are some of your favorite items in the collection?

Oh gosh, that's hard. I have a complete 300 card set of Keystone images from WWI in excellent condition. There are glimpses of everyday life and some breathtaking battle and hospital scenes. One exceptionally powerful image shows a squad of French soldiers charging a denuded hill from close range. Two soldiers are crumpling before our eyes.

I also have a number of landscapes by the famous photographer William Henry Jackson. As a young photographer, he was one of my heroes, and now I have some of his images.

I am especially fond of the pieces I have from contemporary artists Bill Lee and David Lee.

ephemera: For someone interested in stereograph collecting, what resources do you recommend?

Goldwyn: Membership in National Stereoscopic Association�is essential. Their magazine, Stereo World, has many well-researched articles. There are some very useful links there, too.

The best book is Stereo Views: An Illustrated History & Price Guide by John Waldsmith. Alas, the last edition was 2002, and the prices are now out of date. But the info is accurate and helpful.

[image by ingorrr]