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Stereoscopic images from World War I animate the horrors of history

Stereoscopic images from World War I animate the horrors of history

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world war 1 slides
world war 1 slides

A Toronto photography and graphic design studio has acquired a camera and photographic slides that allow the viewer to experience World War I in 3D. The Verascope is a series of handheld stereoscopic cameras designed and built in the 19th century by Jules Richard, and this unit, which was owned by the French army during World War I, remains in pristine condition today.

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The photographs were taken in the trenches, streets, and battlefields of World War I. While the up-close imagery is gripping in its own right, the added dimension lends the photos an intimate, unnerving feel.

Visitors to A Nerd's World in Toronto can use the 3D viewer to see the slides for themselves, but for those who can't make the trip, the studio has rendered some of the scans as GIFs. We've embedded a few below.

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