Nineteenth century 3D photos or stereo views were popular during and after the Civil War.

Some people would imagine that 3-D technology is a 21st century breakthrough given the recent success of films like Thor and Avatar, but it is actually 19th century and, in fact, as old as photography itself. Understanding visual perception, particularly as it involved understanding how individuals perceive depth, binocular vision also changed throughout the 1830s, a time of upheaval in the science of photography. The first stereo or 3-D images were made in 1839, which is also known as the year realistic photography was invented. When Thomas Edison experimented with stereoscopic projection in 1891, the same year Edison's lab revealed the Cinema Meter, even 3D film was an antiquated idea.

Stereoscopic images, or 19th-century holograms, made up over 70% of the Civil War-era pictures. The same image was taken from slightly different angles, just like our eyes, using a dual-lens camera with holograms to create stereoscopic views. The lenses were separated by the width of the eye. These two images are put in a viewing device after being developed and labeled so that they appear to be seen in 3D, giving the soldiers a special, immersive experience. both soldiers and civilians.