Jack Deo, owner of Superior View Photography in Marquette, gave a slideshow presentation to patrons of the Ore Dock in a fundraising effort on behalf of the Marquette Maritime Museum. His presentation featured stereoscopic images that were anaglyphed in red and blue format, allowing viewers to see 3-D images on the screen when wearing a pair of red and blue 3-D glasses. (Journal photos by Rachel Oakley)

MARQUETTE — Marquette photographer Jack Deo, owner of Superior View Photography, has been collecting 3-D images from previous centuries for the past 40 years. He put on a slideshow Feb. 6 at the Ore Dock Brewing Company, which allowed people to get an immersive glimpse of history, all while raising funds for the Marquette Maritime Museum and the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse. The event was aptly named “Maritime History in 3-D.”

Deo displayed and talked about over 130 stereoscopic images from the late 1800s using a method called anaglyphing to allow an audience of around 60 individuals to simultaneously see the past in three dimensions on the projector screen.

“These (stereoscopic images) were taken with a camera with two lenses. That shot is just a little bit over from this shot, they’re not identical, they just overlap,” said Deo, pointing to a “stereo card” for reference. Stereo cards feature two images which were taken at the same time but from slightly different angles and then printed next to each other on one card.

The cards could be used with a device called a stereoscope, which allows a person to view the images on the card superimposed over each other, creating a 3-D effect. To create a slideshow that many people could enjoy simultaneously, Deo explained that he uses a computer application called StereoMaker to create anaglyphs.

Anaglyphs are stereoscopic images presented in two different colors, in this case red and blue, which can be viewed through red and blue filtered glasses, which superimpose the individual images making them appear three dimensional.

Deo provided red and blue filtered glasses for audience members to watch the anaglyph slideshow on the projector screen.

Deo’s presentation started with maritime images from around the world.

“You could travel the world by buying cards like this,” he said. “They’re from 1860 to 1880. I collected a set called ‘Water Transportation Around the World,’ … They take you all over, from New Guinea to the orient, showing old boats.”

After these images, Deo moved his presentation closer to home with photos of Marquette and other parts of the Upper Peninsula, mainly showcasing works by the premier stereoscopic photographer Brainard F. Childs, who operated photo studios in Marquette, Houghton and Ishpeming in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

“We’re going to come back to Marquette and see 3-D shots of the ore docks and the boats and the passenger ships,” Deo explained. “The Soo Locks I have a little series on … Marquette manufactured thousands of these, of the mines, of the logging camps, and that’s what I’ve been collecting for 40 years. I’ve got thousands of these cards.”

Deo said he was pleased that his slideshow could be used to raise funds for the maritime museum and lighthouse.

The next Marquette Maritime Museum presentation will be held 7 p.m. on March 6 at the Ore Dock. “Forgotten Heroes: The U.S. Life-Saving Service on the Great Lakes” will be presented by maritime historian Fred Stonehouse.