Les Diableries

This article is about the 19th-century stereoscopic photographs. For the tabletop role-playing game, see Diablerie.

Stereoview number 61, La Guerre, départ de l'Enfer (War, Departure from Hell)

Les Diableries is a series of stereoscopic photographs published in Paris during the 1860s. ^[1] The photographs, known as stereoviews, portray sculpted clay vignettes depicting scenes of daily life in hell. Much of the subject matter was satirical and mirrored the corruption and excess of Paris during the Second Empire. Napoleon III's authoritarian rule was repeatedly the subject of criticism, as was the decadent lifestyle of the bourgeoisie. ^[2]

Creation and publication

At least three sculptors are known to have created vignettes for the series: Louis Alfred Habert, Pierre Adolph Hennetier, and Louis-Edmond Cougny  [ fr ]. ^[3] The series was originally published by François Benjamin Lamiche but was later taken over and expanded by the publisher Adolphe Block. ^[4] A total of 72 scenes were published by Block. Many similar stereoviews, though of lesser quality, were published by Block's competitor Jules Marinier. ^[5]

Construction

The photographs were reverse colored by hand, then backed with a layer of tissue paper and sandwiched between two double window cardboard mattes. This format of stereoview is known as a "tissue view" or "hold-to-light view" and is similar to modern slides or transparencies. For added effect, the eyes of the skeletons and various other creatures were pierced and dabbed with colored gelatin, causing their eyes to glow red. ^[6] The final product was then viewed through a stereoscope which produced a realistic 3D effect.

Gallery

• 
  « 39. Entrée d'Orphée aux Enfers »
  ("Orpheus's Entrance to Hell")
• 
  « Fonderies de Satan »
  ("Satan's Foundries")
• 
  « 29. Les Pilules du Diable »
  ("The Devil's Pills")
• 
  « 53. Les Patineurs de l'Enfer »
  ("The Skaters of Hell")
• 
  « 63. Le Boudoir de Mme Satan »
  ("The Boudoir of Mrs. Satan")
• 
  « 62. La Guerre, retour en Enfer »
  ("War, Return to Hell")
• 
  « Révolte aux Enfers »
  ("Revolt in Hell")
• 
  Untitled (card players and musicians)

References

1. Journal Général de l'Imprimerie et de la Librairie[General Journal of Printing and Bookselling]. Deuxième Série (in French). Vol. IV. Paris. 1860.
2. Schreiber, Robert A. (2004). "Classification of Diableries". Stereo World Magazine. 30 (4).
3. Remise, Jac (1978). Diableries: La Vie Quotidienne Chez Satan à la Fin du 19e Siècle[Diableries: Daily Life at Satan's at the End of the 19th Century] (in French). Balland. ISBN   978-2-7158-0170-7.
4. Journal Général de l'Imprimerie et de la Librairie[General Journal of Printing and Bookselling]. Deuxième Série (in French). Vol. XII. Paris. 1868.
5. Kaba, Mitchell. "Les Diableries: 3D Visions of Hell". Scribd. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
6. Simonova-Bulat, Elena. Conservation Issues of Paper Stereo Transparencies. OCLC   56953211.

Further reading

• Fleming, Paula; May, Brian; Pellerin, Denis (2013). Diableries: Stereoscopic Adventures in Hell. London Stereoscopic Company. ISBN   978-0-9574246-0-9. OCLC   1008277251.

External links

• Diableries – French Devil Tissue Stereos, London Stereoscopic Company
• Les Diableries: Image Samples