RI Historical Society -- The Third Dimension: Rhode Island in 3-D, Library Fundraiser

Contact: Karen Eberhart
Rhode Island Historical Society
(401) 273-8107 x20
keberhart@rihs.org
                                                                        

The Third Dimension: Rhode Island in 3-D
a Modern Celebration of Stereoview Photography to benefit
the Rhode Island Historical Society’s Graphics Collection

           The Rhode Island Historical Society proudly presents The Third Dimension: Rhode Island in 3-D, a visual kickoff event to benefit the RIHS Graphics Inventory Project. The fundraiser will be held Saturday, June 19, 2010 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Aldrich House, 110 Benevolent Street in Providence.


           Before television, the Internet, or 3-D blockbuster movies, there were stereoview photographs-- a parlor entertainment invented in 1851 and popularized by Queen Victoria that brought a three dimensional world into America’s living rooms.   The images ranged from exotic foreign locations to the daily life of families and local attractions. By the 1940s some Rhode Islanders had their own stereographic cameras and captured the good times of the era.


           Thanks to today’s technology we can now experience the range of these historic Rhode Island images on the silver screen in their full glory.  The Third Dimension: Rhode Island in 3-D will present the history of Rhode Island through stereo images from the black and white of the 1890s to the brilliant color of the 1950s with expert narration by local historian Ned Connors.  Among the highlights will be images of our very own Senator Sheldon Whitehouse as a baby and dramatic color views of the 1955 Blackstone River flood.


           Throughout its 188-year history, the Rhode Island Historical Society has served Rhode Island by collecting, preserving and sharing our state’s rich heritage.  The proceeds from The Third Dimension event will be used to support the Society’s Graphics Inventory Project, a landmark effort to fully document and make accessible the vast audiovisual resources at the RIHS to modern standards.  So far during the first 2.5 years of the Project, almost 200,000 individual items have been identified and records can now be added to the Society’s Online catalog NETOP [http://rihs.minisisinc.com].


           Tickets are $75.  Seating is limited.  To reserve your seat please contact Natasha Brooks at the RIHS Library, by phone (401) 273-8107 x12,  by email programs@rihs.org <mailto:programs@rihs.org> , or in person at the RIHS Library at 121 Hope Street, Providence, RI 02906.





Photo caption:
Stereoview of a Newport family, 1890s, Sal Lopes Collection, Rhode Island Historical Society, RHi (X17) 408