Children Sitting on Porch Steps with Toys, 1870-1880

Americans loved stereographs -- millions were made from the mid-1800s through the 1930s. A stereograph consists of two offset photos that appear to have three-dimensional depth when viewed through a stereoscope. These images entertained and educated. Stereographs could transport viewers to faraway places while others documented daily life, like this stereograph depicting children and their playthings.