[Soldiers from the 134th Illinois Volunteer Infantry playing cards at Columbus, Kentucky]

During the Civil War, photographers produced thousands of stereoviews. Stereographs were popular during American Civil War. A single glass plate negative capture both images using a Stereo camera. Prints from these negatives were intended to be looked at with a special viewer called a stereoscope, which created a three-dimensional ("3-D") image. This collection includes glass stereograph negatives, as well as stereograph card prints.

John Carbutt was an American photographic pioneer and stereocard publisher. Born in Sheffield, England in 1832, he emigrated to the United States in 1853 and settled in Philadelphia. He worked as a chemist and in 1861 founded the Keystone Dry Plate Works, which produced dry photographic plates. Carbutt was also a pioneer in the development of celluloid film, which he patented in 1887. His invention revolutionised the motion picture industry, making it possible to produce longer films with better picture quality. He also invented the first film roll holder for use in cameras. In addition to his technical innovations, Carbutt was also a publisher of stereo cards, which were popular in the late 19th century. These cards contained two nearly identical photographs which, when viewed through a special viewer, created a three-dimensional effect. Carbutt died in 1905, but his contributions to photography and cinema are still celebrated today.