The collection consists of 45 stereoviews depicting various scenes and persons from the District of Columbia. Stereoviews, also called “stereocards” or “stereotypes,” are two nearly identical card-mounted images placed side by side. When viewed through a stereo viewer or stereograph, they give the image a three-dimensional effect. They were very popular from 1854 through the mid-1930s and often illustrate historic and exotic locations.