Diableries

Their history, method of creation, and purpose are largely a matter of speculation. They originate from some time in the 19th century and are French. They were created by only a handful (perhaps 2 or 3) artists. It seems they were photographed from small clay dioramas, none of which have survived. They were presented as opaque stereo-photographs and transparent rear-projection tissues, some hand colored (as above) some a rich sepia. The mystery surrounding their origins was likely intentional in that there content, humorous and bawdy and dealing almost exclusively with satan, hell, and the dead, would likely be seen as heretical. The present thinking is that they were produced as social satire on the regime of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte who, as Napoleon III, was Emperor of France from 1852 to 1870. The relative anonymity of the creators and mystery of their origins would serve as protection against imprisonment and other dungeon-related unpleasantness. See below for a few scant examples and links to more complete resources.













There are many beautiful examples to be seen and more info to be had at the following:

Early Visual Media
World of Stereo Views
La Collection D’appareils
The Laughing Bone
ookami_dou’s Vintage Flickr set

Hope you enjoyed.

09.05. filed under: art. history. 5