Carlos Relvas (1838-1894): The Intriguing Research of his Stereo Archive

Abstract

Early this year a new research project was launched in Portugal, entitled ‘European Stereo Masters: Carlos Relvas’. Stemming from previous research on Portuguese stereoscopy, this project is focused on the stereo photographs by Carlos Relvas (Golegã, Portugal), the most remarkable and renowned nineteenth-century Portuguese photographer. Between 1861 and 1894, Relvas produced thousands of wet collodium and gelatin silver plate photographs that allowed him to win international awards and medals, as well as triggered his admission as member of the exclusive French Photographic Society. About a third of his photographic estate is composed of imperial size stereos (17,5X23 cm), mostly negatives, which have remained unstudied and unobserved with proper stereo viewers since his death. These negatives have an important cultural value since they reveal features of his work that are not present in the several stereo cardstock series he produced. Such is the case of his studio portraits, an intriguing example of his work that needs to be pinned down: since these portraits were not to be included in his series of stereoviews, and instead were printed as cartes cabinet, how important was the choice of a stereo format for these studio portraits? And how should two slightly different images in the same stereo portrait plate be interpreted? This talk will be an opportunity to formulate and discuss an hypothesis about such portraits: since Relvas’ work was so experimental and attentive to European innovations, would he possibly be animating his stereos just like Antoine Claudet’s stereo animations a decade before? Other clues connect Relvas to Claudet and may pin his quest for animating stereoscopy and for boosting its creative and joyful potential.