142 THREE-DIMENSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY
The idea that stereo is not a medium for esthetic expression
and is suitable only for purely record work, is wholly wrong.
Stereo is capable of producing results which are as beautiful as
those of any other graphic art, if not more so. The fact that we
have not perfected a method of attack, that our taste has not be-
come trained to the third dimension, argues only our own short-
comings, not those of the medium.
Generally speaking, the attack is one which must be worked
out individually. We can observe the rules in so far as we know
them, but the ultimate judgment must be based upon the effect
obtained, just as it is in any pictorial work.
There are at present several stereographers who are already
making progress in the field of stereo pictorialism. Many of these
are Stereo Guild members, none of them from the ranks of the
planar pictorialists. It grows more and more evident that the
stereo pictorialist is a genius apart and the ranks must be filled
from those heretofore unknown. The planar pictorialist, through
long years of habit insists upon bending his stereo composition to
fit the rules and limitations of planar composition which are in-
tolerable and fatal to stereo.
We shall have cause to mention a few of these. This does not
mean that those mentioned are the only ones. We should like to
give credit to the many stereographers who have done outstand-
ing work, but because of space limitations we shall mention only
a few of those whose work is typical of some specific form of
stereography. It is so much easier to discuss an actual stereogram
than some synthetic ideal which does not exist.
The new stereo pictorialists have already shown a surprising
variety in treatment as well as a high and admirable degree of
individuality. Much of the work is excellent, most of it worth-
while. Any subdivision such as the writer may attempt comes only
from the necessity of having some kind of classification which
will make discussion possible.
ScENIcs.-One stereographer bemoaned the fact that he could
not get to the West where “You can stumble, fall down and get
a grand picture from the exposure you accidentally made while
falling.” That belief is widespread and every stereo exhibition
has scores of scenes made in our National Parks. They are defin-
itely things of beauty and no one would call them stereographic