Newly discovered stereograph

A recently discovered stereograph, believed to be circa 1880, shows people examining prehistoric footprints at the Nevada State Prison.

Stereographs consist of two nearly identical photographs or photomechanical prints, paired to produce the illusion of a single three-dimensional image, usually when viewed through a stereoscope.

Check out the Library of Congress’s collection, where you can search for Nevada or the name on this card, Pacific Coast Views, for several eye-catching examples, including views of Washoe Valley and of Yosemite from the late 1800s.

This particular stereograph doesn’t show up in either search. If you have any additional information about it, please let us know.

The company name on the left appears to be Taber, which means the photograph could be the work of Carleton Watkins, one of the first and most renowned photographers of the American West Coast. The address of No. 8 Montgomery St. would appear to be the studio of a photographer, Robert H. Vance, for whom Watkins worked.

If you search the Carleton Watkins web site above, you will find another stereograph of the prison with the Sierra Nevada in the background — but not the one of the footprints.