Stereoscopic photograph depicting the Laocoön
1850
photographic
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1850
photographic
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
This is a black-and-white photo of a famous marble statue. A muscular man twists in pain, his face scrunched, while two snakes coil around him and his sons. The figures are caught mid-struggle, their bodies tangled and strained. The photo shows the statue from two angles at once—it’s a trick called stereoscopy, making it look 3D. The snakes’ scales and the men’s strained muscles are carved in sharp detail. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more original sculptures like this.
