Diableries by Denis Pellerin

“Diableries” (translated roughly as “Devilments”) are cards that depict an imaginary underworld populated by devils, satyrs, and skeletons, which are for the most part having fun. The cards are works of art in themselves and are known as French Tissues, constructed in a special way to enable them to be viewed in a stereoscope, illuminated from the front for a normal “day” appearance in monochrome, or illuminated from the back for a “night” appearance. In the night scene, hidden colors magically appear, and the eyes of the skeletons leap out in red! Collectors prize these cards, which are quite delicate, and must be handled with care in order not to damage them. They were made exclusively in France beginning in the 1860s and continued to be made until around 1900. In this talk, all the images are in side-by-side stereoscopic 3D, and can be viewed in their full glory using a stereoscopic viewer, such as Lite Owl, Owl VR Kit, Loreo Pixi, prism glasses, or mirror viewers, depending on the size of your digital display. (The Lite OWL and Owl VR Kit can be bought from the London Stereoscopic Company's online shop: https://shop.londonstereo.com. Loreo Pixi viewers, prism glasses, and mirror viewers can be had at Berezin Stereo: https://www.berezin.com/3d/viewers.htm.) Denis Pellerin is a photo historian with a passion for stereo photography. He has been researching and learning about the history of stereo photography for nearly 40 years and has written several articles and books on the subject, both in French and in English. During his 30th year as a teacher, Pellerin had the good fortune to be hired by Dr. Brian May as the curator of his extensive photographic collection. Over the past couple of years, he has given dozens of 3-D talks in several different countries on various aspects of Victorian stereo photography. Presented on October 31, 2020.