Stereo analysis
AnalyzedVerdict
Genuine stereo pair80%
The two photographs contain the viewpoint difference needed to produce genuine depth.
- Depth spread
- 3px
- The range of horizontal difference between the two views. More spread generally means more depth; 0–1 px usually indicates a monoview.
- Match
- 69%
- The share of usable picture detail that can be matched between the left and right views. A higher number means a more reliable comparison.
- Vertical
- 1px
- Vertical drift between matched details. Lower is better; 4 px or more can indicate camera movement, scan skew, or poor alignment.
Men stand among large, sharply cut blocks of snow, with exposed lengths of track at lower left. A man in a dark coat and brimmed hat occupies the narrow opening between two blocks; two other figures appear at the left of the right-hand image. Their presence gives a clear measure of the blocks’ considerable size.
The mount identifies the scene as the Southern Minnesota Division of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway and carries the caption “Snow Blockade, March 29, 1881.” The precise location along the division and the identities of the men are not established by the captions.
The left margin credits the photograph and publication to Elmer & Tenney of Winona, Minnesota; the right margin reads “E. & T. Minnesota Snow View Series of 1881.” Number 1157 appears within the lower right image and corresponds to “A large shovel-full” in the publisher’s list on the reverse.
The paired photographs have rounded upper corners and are mounted on a pale green card with rounded corners. The reverse lists snow views along three railway divisions, placing this photograph within a larger series documenting snowbound tracks, trains, and clearance work. The caption supplies the date of the blockade, but the exact printing date is not established.
- Title on card
- No. 1157. A large shovel-full.
- Medium
- Stereoview
- Subject
- Minnesota, Outdoor Scene, Railroad
- Dimensions
- 7.02 × 3.98 in (178.3 × 101.1 mm)
- Condition
- The images are pale and low in contrast, though the figures and cut snow blocks remain legible. Otherwise sound, with no visible cracks, tears, or significant losses.
- Provenance
- The mount credits Elmer & Tenney, Winona, Minnesota, as photographers and publishers. No former ownership is established by the scans.
- Catalogue no.
- MSV1767
Catalogue details
Location
Southern Minnesota Division grade between Fairmont and Sherburn, Minnesota · Minnesota, United States
General area · Region · 40% confidence
Card names no place. Same Elmer & Tenney Minnesota snow blockade series as No. 1158 (Temperance Lake cut) and No. 1161 (cut three miles west of Fairmont), both on the Southern Minnesota Division. Placed on that stretch of track by the series, not by this card.
Source: Elmer & Tenney series context (Nos. 1158 and 1161)
