Day 4 of our James Edward Ellam stereo series takes us to another popular photographic location for Victorian stereographers – the greenhouse.

The nature of flower heads presented in rows at different heights within provided the ingredients for a winning three-dimensional  combination.  

In this example, a number of different flower and shrub varieties are visible, notably hydrangeas in pots, fuchsias towards the back and a resplendent lily in the top right-hand corner.

Stereos produced by commercial companies during this period featuring similar subject matter were sometimes hand-tinted to show off the rainbow of colours on display.

The most noticeable change in this Ellam stereo is the slightly larger size of print used suggesting a change of camera.

Here it’s a quarter of an inch larger than the first three examples about which I’ve blogged.

Judging by the verso stamp and handwriting combination, this time in pencil rather than ink, all four date from the early 1890s.

Whether it’s the larger sizing or other factors, “Triangle Greenhouse” appears to be a less successful stereo with, for example, some of the petals in the foreground being slightly out of focus.

Experimentation might be one explanation for this during a period when James was gaining experience of working with the stereoscopic format.

Tomorrow: “The Flood, Yarm. October 1893.”

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