The bottomless pit – Historic Print
(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)
Description
This rare historic photograph captures The bottomless pit in remarkable detail. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.
The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. It makes a striking addition to a living room, study or office, and a thoughtful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past has been bringing history to the wall since 2001, for tens of thousands of customers worldwide.
The bottomless pit
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The Bottomless Pit is one of the best-known stops on the guided routes through Mammoth Cave, a deep fissure that visitors crossed on a narrow footbridge while guides held lanterns over the drop. This 1896 stereograph card belongs to a numbered series of views of the cave and its surroundings, issued in Kentucky when the cave was a major tourist destination. Stereo cards like this were meant to be viewed through a stereoscope, which gave the chasm a sense of depth that a flat print could not. Cards from this period show how the cave's commercial tours presented its underground scenery to a national audience.
| Created / published | 1896 |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 photographic print on stereo card : stereograph silver printing out paper. |
| Notes | 40936 U.S. Copyright Office. Part of series: Views of Mammoth Cave and vicinity. No. 17. Copyright by Ben Hains. Title from item. · Thum M. (Mandeville). |
| Subjects | Caves--Kentucky--1890-1900. Mammoth Cave (Ky.)--1890-1900. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Stereograph Cards |
| Original scan | 4,321 × 2,518 px · prints to 14 × 8 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | tif09725_Thebottomlesspit |
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