The iffy economic environment, as we all know, is causing many museums to be creative, and one good result from that is the recent trend toward turning conservation work into an exhibition. In one way, at least, the St. Louis Art Museum has the biggest example — “Restoring an American Treasure: The Panorama Of the Monumental Grandeur of the Mississippi Valley.” Last summer and again now, since June 8, it has been restoring the work in its special exhibition galleries.
The panorama is a huge thing — 90 inches tall and 348 feet long; that is nearly the same length as the great Gettysburg Cyclorama and more than double the length of the Metropolitan Museum’s “Panoramic View of the Palace and Gardens of Versailles,” by John Vanderlyn, which occupies its own gallery in the American wing.
I explain more about the St. Louis panorama’s history, how it was damaged, and the nature of the conservation work in an article in today’s Wall Street Journal.
Sadly, many of these relics of 19th century visual culture — once extremely popular – have been lost. The St. Louis’s museum’s in the only survivor of six known Mississippi River valley panoramas, for example. And it might have been lost, too.
Its owner was the eccentric amateur archaeologist. Montroville W. Dickeson, who commissioned it and who, starting in 1851, took it on the road as a prop to accompany his speeches, charging 25 cents. He gave it to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, which gave it to the University of Pennsylvania’s University Museum around 1899, along with his archaeological finds and notes. The museum didn’t want it, though, and deaccessioned it in 1953 – fortunately to the St. Louis museum, which had shown it in 1949.
The museum exhibition website has more details and images for each of the scenes.
These artifacts are often fascinating things, and those who’d like to learn more can take a look at a book called The Painted Panorama, or even just check out the Wikipedia page on panoramas, which has some good references and links — e.g. to something called International Panorama Council. It holds an annual meeting, this year in Pleven, Bulgaria from Sept. 9 to 13th.
The things one learns as a reporter, happily.
Photo credit: Scene 2, Courtesy of the St. Louis Art Museum