A Stereoscopic Tour of Adelicia's Travels

After the Civil War, Adelicia and her children took a yearlong tour of Europe.  They would not only bring back the bulk of Belmont Mansion’s art collection, but also stereograph images of their trip.  Stereoscopes are instruments that create an illusion of depth, or a 3D image, in the picture being displayed when held up to the viewers’ eyes.  Stereoscopes became a form of entertainment and a way for people to view places, museums and people they had never seen before.  Passages from both Adelicia’s personal correspondence and her son’s, William Hayes Acklen, later writings accompany the images and make up a narrative to their travels.