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The orange-red square-corner mount is headed “VIEWS OF NIAGARA” and bears the period title:
“Ice Shrubs and British Falls in the Distance.”
The photograph was taken from the Canadian side of Niagara and shows the heavily ice-covered winter landscape with the British (Horseshoe/Canadian) Falls visible in the distance. In the foreground, a man poses with a long gun aimed toward a bear positioned among the ice-covered trees.
This unusual view is documented in the Robert N. Dennis Collection of Stereoscopic Views at the New York Public Library. The same title and subject also appeared in a specialist John Saddy/Jefferson Stereoptics sale of Niagara stereoviews, where it was described as an anonymous orange-red mount showing a “man shooting rifle.”
The photographer of this particular view has not been positively identified.
Of particular interest, noted Niagara photographer Saul Davis produced a different but closely related stereoview titled Ice Grove with Bear, showing another staged winter scene of a man shooting at a bear. Examples of the Davis photograph are held by both the New York Public Library and the Rijksmuseum. The present stereoview is a different composition and is not attributed to Davis, but provides an interesting example of the staged hunting tableaux produced as Niagara stereoscopic entertainment during this period.
Condition: Good antique condition overall. Albumen photographs retain good detail with expected age-related fading/toning, scattered marks and minor surface wear. Orange-red mount has normal edge and corner wear. Printed title remains legible. Please examine all photographs carefully as they are part of the condition description.
Original 19th-century albumen stereoview — not a reproduction.
