CYCLORAMA encyclopedia topics

A cyclorama is a cylindrical panoramic painting designed to provide a viewer, standing in the middle of the cylinder, with a 360° view of the painting. The intended effect is that the viewer would feel as if they were standing in the center of a historic event or famous place — surrounded by the panoramic image.

Panoramas were first invented by Irishman Robert Barker who wanted to find a way to capture the panoramic view from Calton Hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland. He subsequently opened his first cyclorama in Edinburgh in 1787.

Cycloramas were very popular in the late 19th century. The most popular traveled from city to city to provide local entertainment — much like a modern movie. As the viewers stood in the center of the painting, there would often be music and a narrator telling the story of the event depicted. Sometimes dioramas were constructed in the foreground to provide additional realism to the cyclorama.

Many circular and hexagonal shaped buildings were constructed in almost every major US and European city to provide a viewing space for the cycloramas.

Hundreds of cycloramas were produced during their heyday. However, only about thirty survive today.

Some notable cycloramas still in existence today include:

Atlanta Cyclorama, depicting the Battle of Atlanta during the American Civil War is on display in Atlanta
Behalt Cyclorama, depicting the heritage of the Amish and Mennonite people
Gettysburg Cyclorama, depicting the Battle of Gettysburg during the U.S. Civil War is displayed at Gettysburg National Military Park. The version on display is the second of four known versions of this painting, and one of only two extant. The original was temporarily lost from 1933–1965, and has not been on public display since 1933. It has been recently purchased by a group of Raleigh, North Carolina investors and is awaiting restoration.
Cyclorama of Jerusalem, depicting Jesus Christ's Crucifixion is on display in Saint Anne de Beaupre, Quebec, Canada
Waterloo Cyclorama, depicting the Battle of Waterloo is displayed in Belgium near the city of Waterloo
Pleven Panorama, depicting the Siege of Pleven in 1878, in Pleven, Bulgaria
Panorama Mesdag, depicting the Dutch village of Scheveningen in 1881, displayed in The Hague, The Netherlands
There is a cyclorama painting by the artist, John Vanderlyn, of the Palace and Gardens of Versailles on display in the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

An extension of this concept into motion pictures was pioneered with the invention of the Cinéorama that debuted at the 1900 Paris Exposition, and modern versions can be seen today at places like EPCOT Center's China Pavilion using Circle-Vision 360°.