Purgatory. Rhode Island. 19th century stereoscope card.

Rhode Island stereoscopic card.
Robert Dennis's stereographs collection includes more than 72,000 stereoscopic views organized primarily by geography. The collection bears the name of the native New Yorker who assembled it over a period of more than six decades, Robert N. Dennis (1900-1983).
Stereographs consist of two nearly identical photographs or photomechanical prints, paired to produce the illusion of a single three-dimensional image, usually when viewed through a stereoscope. Stereographs were produced from the 1850s to the 1940s, with the bulk between 1870 and 1920.

Purgatory is a concept in Roman Catholicism and some other Christian denominations that refers to a state or place where souls undergo purification after death, in preparation for entering heaven. According to this belief, those who die in a state of grace but with unconfessed or unfulfilled sins must undergo a period of purification in purgatory, during which they are cleansed of their impurities and made ready for the beatific vision of God. The concept of purgatory is based on passages in the Bible and on early Christian teachings and traditions. It is seen as a way of balancing God's mercy with the demands of justice, as those who die with venial (less serious) sins are able to receive divine mercy and enter heaven, while also making satisfaction for their sins and avoiding the punishment they would otherwise face. The concept of purgatory has been a subject of debate and controversy within Christianity, with some denominations rejecting it outright.