This stereoview depicts a devastated urban streetscape identified in period ink as 'Steinstrasse,' with several multi-story buildings reduced to shells, their facades collapsed and piles of rubble spilling onto the cobblestone roadway. Carts and indistinct figures are visible in the middle distance, while the foreground street stands largely empty. The overall haze and softness of the image, along with scattered staining, are consistent with an albumen print of this period.
The mount bears the printed imprint 'T. Richard, Photogr., Maenedorf, Zürichsee' along the left margin and 'Strassburg 1870' along the right, together with a handwritten caption reading '393. Steinstrasse.' These elements support attribution to the Swiss photographer Traugott Richard and place the image within the documentation of the destruction in Strasbourg following the 1870 siege during the Franco-Prussian War.
Photographer/publisher: T. Richard (Traugott Richard)
Period/date: 1870
Dimensions: 175 x 85 mm
Condition: Good; the albumen print shows overall fading and light yellowing, with scattered small blue-toned stains within the image area and mild surface haze. The mount shows light wear at the corners but remains flat and stable.
Reverse: No verso scan available.
Keywords: France, Strasbourg, Franco-Prussian War, albumen stereoview, T. Richard
Photographer Biography:
Traugott Richard (1823–1899) operated a photographic studio in Männedorf, on the Zürichsee, Switzerland, active from the 1860s into the 1880s.
He is primarily known for stereoscopic and cabinet-card views of Swiss women in regional costume, frequently hand-colored with attention to fine detail.
His studio imprint appears on mounts as 'T. Richard, Photogr. Maenedorf, Zürichsee.'
Beyond his studio's location and period of activity, no further biographical details are firmly established.
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