The Keystone View Company, Underwood and Underwood, H. C. White Company and other publishers of popular stereoscopic photographs in the early 20th century documented immigration through the most famous point of entry, Ellis Island. These 3D images would have been sold to schools and libraries as well as more wealthy families as educational sets. It is interesting to speculate about how a teacher would have discussed immigration around 1905 with young school children.

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It is also interesting to note what is missing -- a growing sense of racism and nationalism at the turn-of-the-century as seen in the extension of the Chinese Exclusion Act and other statutory actions. Perhaps it is useful to consider the social and political issues that surround these stereoscopic photographs from the early 1900s to better understand the attitudes of nationalism and anti-immigration emerging toward the end of the 20th century?

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