"Pocket Theatres to see at soirées": Stereoscopic photography and Theatre in Images

Underlying many uses of the stereoscopic photography is entertainment. Therefore, among the various themes of landscape, travel, and cultural exoticism, there are scenes of everyday life, private scenes, war scenes, but also representations of the famous shows, plays, and operas of the time. This paper aims to examine the archaeological remediation between the two media – theatre and stereoscopic photography in Portugal – from a few collections that address the theatrical theme. Is there a unique quality in the Portuguese archive, or do the existing collections reflect the cosmopolitan taste of the time, translating images imported to travel from (and between) major European capitals, as in the case of the collection "Les Theatres de Paris" (Wing, 1991)? Other issues will be addressed, such as: who were the producers or distributors, who were their customers, what were the issues and shows illustrated, and what role did these pictures have, compared to the scenes performed in the theatre.