Henry Hamilton Bennett

Stereographs feature two small photographs taken at nearly identical angles mounted side-by-side. When viewed through a special viewer called a stereoscope, the two photographs appear to form one image that gives the illusion of depth. Henry Hamilton Bennett, who made a niche for himself selling stereographs to tourists eager for mementos of their travels through “the wonders and beauties of Wisconsin scenery,” included objects in the foreground, middle ground, and background to both lead the viewer’s eye through the composition and enhance the illusion of depth. Bennett sold his stereographs in sets meant to simulate a tour through a specific site, in this case the dells of the Wisconsin River.