The popularity of stereographs coincided with the increasing settlement of Florida. While early stereoviews mostly featured the developing tourist meccas of Jacksonville and St. Augustine, improved transportation routes later facilitated the production of images of Tampa, St. Petersburg, Palm Beach, Miami and the Everglades.
Following late nineteenth-century journalists’ and writers’ descriptions of Florida as a verdant paradise, stereoview photographers focused their cameras on the natural beauty of the sub-tropical environment.
Stereoviews frequently carried captions such as “Florida, the land of Flowers and Tropical Scenery,” reflecting the Northern visitor’s enchantment with Florida’s landscape.
Most popular were images of citrus groves, coconut palms and pineapple fields, often accompanied by textual explanations of the cultivation and harvesting of tropical fruits.
To appeal to the growing market of winter tourists to Florida, stereoviews also featured images of historic monuments and posh accommodations, such as St. Augustine’s Alcazar and Ponce de Leon hotels. These views served both as pictorial momentos of visits and as advertising for potential visitors to Florida.
Although stereoviews depicting the tropical scenery of Key West were available as early as the 1870s, the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898 attracted large numbers of photographers who contributed to the publication of thousands of views. While documenting the events of the war, photographers also took the opportunity to present unique aspects of island life, including views of the capture and sale of sharks, sea turtles and sponges.
|
