Fragment of the ‘Giant Cyclorama’, Gebroeders Borgmann (attributed to), c. 1853

paper, w c.180cm × l c.2309cm More details

In presenting the Giant Cyclorama, 1.5 kilometres of painted paper was rolled from spool to spool during a two-hour period. Without having to move physically, the spectator was transported over mountains and valleys while enjoying accompanying music and stories. This 23-metre stretch covers the last part of the journey, when the viewer arrived in sun-drenched Italy. Such moving panoramas were very popular in the 19th century, until the advent of moving pictures or cinema, as we know it.