Advertisements for stereographs

The stereograph sensation is evident in these advertisements on the last page of the April 29, 1865, issue of Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. With the war now over, stereograph publishers began to focus on the medium’s use as documentary evidence of the history of the war, as is evident in the bottom ad: “Obtained at great expense and forming a complete PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE GREAT UNION CONTEST….Everybody is interested in these memorable scenes.” The demand is emphasized even further by the top advertisement, which notes that the Christian Commission will donate 25 percent of the revenue raised by the sale of “Albums, Stereoscopic Views and Card Photographs” within a two-week period to the “relief of our sick and wounded soldiers.”