Entrance to Natural Bridge, No. 16 from the series "Imperial Gems"

Art Historical Context

H.D. Udall’s “Entrance to Natural Bridge, No. 16” from the series “Imperial Gems” captures a celebrated geological wonder through the popular format of a stereoscopic albumen print. Created between 1875 and 1899, the paired photographs on their distinctive card mount were designed to be viewed in a stereoscope, producing a striking three-dimensional effect that brought distant landscapes into intimate focus for nineteenth-century audiences. Albumen prints, made with egg-white emulsions on paper, offered the sharp detail and tonal range that made stereo views a commercial and educational phenomenon. Udall’s image belongs to a broader effort to document America’s natural landmarks, allowing viewers to experience sites like Virginia’s famed Natural Bridge without leaving their parlors. Such views combined scientific curiosity with visual delight, shaping public appreciation of the nation’s scenic treasures. Today the work offers a window into photography’s early role as both art and mass medium, preserved in the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection of Photography and Media.