In the 19^th century, few people could afford to travel abroad; it was expensive and there weren't the [mass] transport systems that we have today. So curiosity about foreign lands had to be satisfied through books and drawings. With the advent of photography, a whole new [dimension] of "reality" became available. Publishers were not slow to realize that here was a large new market of people [hungry] for travel photography and they soon had photographers out shooting the best known European cities, as well as more exotic places further [away]. People bought the pictures by the millions, and magic lantern shows were presented in schools and [lecture] halls. Most popular of all, however, was the stereoscopic picture which [presented] three-dimensional views and was considered a marvel of Victorian technology.