Case of Stuffed Birds, Striking and Evocative Albumen Stereoview. c. 1870, John Soule, Boston grain painted miniature table very clean and dry

very clean and dry

and also a real radiance and pop to the fruit in the right light (more so than my photos convey

I don't believe it's got much age to it

This is a newer

Great old white paint on the boat

Case of Stuffed Birds, Striking and Evocative Albumen Stereoview. c. 1870, John Soule, Boston grain painted miniature table very clean and dryIt was the owls that first drew me to this c. 1870 stereoview, but then, with the help of the caption "Case of stuffed birds" printed below, I realized that these owls were housed in dense diorama populated by many many other species of birds (the closer one looks, the more one finds; they're tucked in there everywhere!) And so to me this feels as if an embodiment of the magic of an owl and its world, wonders only exposed with the power of night