On: Panorama Painting
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Panoramas, a popular form of amusement in the 19th century, were huge circular paintings exhibited in specially constructed buildings, themselves often called panoramas. Standing in semidarkness at the center of these buildings, spectators viewed the illuminated paintings, which were done in such precise scale and perspective that they gave a near-perfect impression of reality.
Typical paintings, which were changed at intervals, included views of cities, landscapes, and battle scenes. The panorama was invented by the artist Robert Barker, who in 1788 exhibited in Edinburgh a circular painting of that city. Similar exhibits were soon established in London, Paris, and other European and American cities. One of the several variations, the so-called moving panorama, consisted of a long length of painted canvas that slowly unwound from one vertical roller and was taken up by another at the opposite side of a stage; this form became a spectacular feature of theatrical productions.
Panoramas, a popular form of amusement in the 19th century, were huge circular paintings exhibited in specially constructed buildings, themselves often called panoramas. Standing in semidarkness at the center of these buildings, spectators viewed the illuminated paintings, which were done in such precise scale and perspective that they gave a near-perfect impression of reality.
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Typical paintings, which were changed at intervals, included views of cities, landscapes, and battle scenes. The panorama was invented by the artist Robert Barker, who in 1788 exhibited in Edinburgh a circular painting of that city. Similar exhibits were soon established in London, Paris, and other European and American cities. One of the several variations, the so-called moving panorama, consisted of a long length of painted canvas that slowly unwound from one vertical roller and was taken up by another at the opposite side of a stage; this form became a spectacular feature of theatrical productions.
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