East Room, White House
Late 19th century
Medium
Albumen print, stereo
Dimensions
Each image: 8 × 7.5 cm (3 3/16 × 3 in.); Card: 8.9 × 17.8 cm (3 9/16 × 7 1/16 in.)
Classification
photography
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
198727
Art Historical Context
This stereoscopic albumen print captures the elegant East Room of the White House the late 19th century, offering viewers a glimpse into one of America’s most iconic interiors. Created by photographer Chas. S. Cudlip, the double-image format was designed for use in a stereoscope, producing a three-dimensional effect that brought distant spaces vividly to life for armchair travelers of the era. Albumen prints, made with egg-white emulsions on paper, were the dominant photographic medium of the time, prized for their rich tonal detail and clarity. The East Room, the largest and most public spac...