Penetrating the peristrephic: An unwritten chapter in the history of the panorama

Abstract

Of all the ‘things panoramic’, the peristrephic panorama remains one of the least well known. It is usually mentioned in passing in the histories of the panorama, but both its form as a spectacle and its historical vicissitudes have remained obscure. This article discusses in a condensed manner the origins, evolution, forms and reception of the peristrephic panorama. It reconstructs the institutional development of this form from its earliest beginnings, excavating the careers of showmen like Messrs Marshall and J.B. Laidlaw. It then explains the forms the shows took by engaging in a close reading of contemporary descriptions – in particular, the one by the German prince Hermann Pueckler‐Muskau. The article proceeds to discuss some of the discursive manifestations the peristrephic panorama gave rise to, illuminating its position within the wider cultural fabric. The study shows that the peristrephic panorama had a character of its own as a transitionary form between the static circular panoramas and the later moving panorama shows.

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