Stereoscopic Tours in the Emperor’s Collection: The World in Third Dimension

This article focuses on the touristic stereoscopic images present in the photographs collection of Brazil´s Emperor, D. Pedro II. Firstly, we will present the concept of “stereoscopic tour” and its diffusion in nineteenth-century modernity. From the constitution of the Emperor’s Collection, we will address its importance for the construction of an ideal of nation and for the emperor’s image himself as a “monarch-citzen”. Finally, we discuss the role occupied by tourist stereoscopies in the collection, their uses and functions and the possible relationships between them and the trips undertaken by this tropical monarch.