Skip to main content

Archives at The Museum of Flight


Jim Bergstrom Collection of World War I Aviation Stereographs

 Collection
Identifier: 2005-08-11
The Jim Bergstrom Collection of World War Aviation Stereographs contains five (5) stereograph images of World War I scenes. The stereographs were published by the Keystone View Company and photographs were taken from approximately 1914-1919.

This collection includes three cards featuring images of airships (balloons and zeppelins) and two cards featuring images of Nieuport planes. Each stereo card features a double photograph in black and white, an image number and brief caption on the bottom right of the card, and on the left and ride sides publication information from Keystone. The reverse of each card features the image number, a title, and an extended historical narrative to contextualize the image.

Dates

  • circa 1914-1918

Creator

Language of Materials

All materials in English.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. For more information contact us.

Conditions Governing Use

The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

Extent

0.02 Cubic Feet (1 file folder)

Abstract

The Jim Bergstrom Collection of World War I Aviation Stereographs contains five (5) stereograph images of World War I scenes printed by the Keystone View Company.

Historical Note: Stereographs

Stereographs are double photographs printed side by side that create a single three-dimensional image when viewed through a stereoscope. The stereoscope allows the two photos to be viewed close enough to the viewer's eyes that the images appear to overlap and create the illusion of three-dimensional depth. The curved stereograph card mount, which added to the appearance of depth, was developed in the late 1870s by early stereoview producer B. W. Kilburn and the design quickly became the standard. The format developed along with the early days of photography, with hand-held stereoscopes and stereograph collections being manufactured in the second half of the 19th century.

Underwood & Underwood began in Kansas in 1882 and expanded rapidly, becoming the largest producer of stereographs by 1901. They popularized the concept of stereograph box sets (such as the World War I set) and created numerous subject-based "stereographic libraries." The Keystone View Company was started in 1892 in Pennsylvania and experienced similarly rapid expansion as Underwood. Keystone pursued the box set model as well, but distinguished itself as a developer of educational sets. Ultimately, Keystone survived the closure of other stereograph producers, absorbing their images and rights, and becoming the only remaining major stereograph publisher in the world by 1920.

These two major companies were the primary producers of image sets for the Great War. Underwood photographers produced images of the first few years of the war in Europe (primarily England, Belgium, and Germany), with some pre-entry mobilization in the United States. However, by wartime Underwood & Underwood was constricting and their production became increasingly limited. Keystone's photographer was delayed by permissions until the end of the war, and was only able to produce the majority of his images in 1919. Both companies released sets, with Keystone re-releasing sets including both company's images after they absorbed Underwood & Underwood in 1920-1922. The numerous versions of the World War I set from Keystone were by far the most popular of any of the war stereograph sets, with production continuing all the way to 1935. A large number of the early European views acquired from Underwood were never published by Keystone, due to the fact that their market was largely American. As such their sets featured images largely taken after the U.S. entry in the war and/or of battle locations which were known to American audiences.

Source:

William C. Darrah. The World of Stereographs. William C. Darrah : Gettysburg, Penn., 1977.
Biographical Note: Jim Bergstrom No biographical information is known.

Custodial History

The collection was donated by Jim Bergstrom in 2005. Additional provenance is unknown.

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Existence and Location of Copies

Materials from this collection have been digitized and are available at The Museum of Flight Digital Collections.

Creator

Title
Guide to the Jim Bergstrom Collection of World War I Aviation Stereographs
Status
Completed - Level 4
Author
J. Parent
Date
2018
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
English
Edition statement
1st Edition

Revision Statements

  • November 2018: Finding aid migrated to ArchivesSpace.
  • June 2020: Updated related agents, added Custodial History note, updated Related Materials note.

Repository Details

Part of the The Museum of Flight Archives Repository

Contact:
9404 East Marginal Way South
Seattle Washington 98108-4097
206-764-7874


The Museum of Flight | 9404 E. Marginal Way South | Seattle WA 98108-4097 | 206-764-5874
Contact us with a research request
curator@museumofflight.org