This cyclorama was originally housed in here in Georgia at the Atlanta Zoo, but it was really looking sad when we saw it in the early 2000s. It’s recently been moved to the Atlanta History Center in Buckhead and touched up so it looks like what it did originally. This post covers what we saw when we visited the center; then in the next post we’ll look at the Civil War myths that sprung up in the late 1800s.
This cyclorama tells us about how people thought about the Battle of Atlanta in the 1880s. German artists were commissioned to paint the panorama 22 years after the battle. [Today’s paintings of 9/11 would probably be pretty accurate because we have so many photographs and videos of that day. This wasn’t true for what we’re going to be seeing in this post.] The cyclorama was intended for Northern audiences interested in the U.S. Army’s victory in this battle. Its creators made it for people who could and would pay to see it.
The painting shows a Union victory with Union heroes. It tells many stories but not all of them. It doesn’t show the horrors of battle.
The painting stands 49 feet tall, is longer than a football field, and weighs 10,000 pounds. It’s circular so the viewer can be immersed into the scene as they walk around it.
some of the paintings
According to AI, “During the Battle of Atlanta (July 22, 1864), the fighting near this house was one of the most dramatic moments of the battle. Confederate troops temporarily broke through Union lines in that area, which is why the artists made it a focal point in the painting.” The house was destroyed during the battle so no longer exists.
See the house in the top right corner? AI tells us that it was: “Gen. William T. Sherman’s headquarters, located at another Hurt family house nearby (owned by Augustus Hurt), where Sherman receives news of Union General James McPherson’s death.” The capital is in the far distance.
history of the cyclorama
In 1884, Chicago investors formed the American Panorama Company so they could cash in on the popularity of cycloramas, especially in Northern cities. Other paintings were of natural disasters, religious scenes, and European battles. The most poplar were U.S. Army victories in the Civil War.
The company manager built a studio in Milwaukee to create the massive works of art. He hired 16 experienced German and Austrian painters. The company’s first work—The Battle of Chattanooga and the Storming of Missionary Ridge—was a financial success in 1885.
The Battle of Atlanta cyclorama took 5 months to create before it debuted in Minneapolis in 1886.
Many veterans of the Atlanta campaign lived in the Upper Midwest where cycloramas were the most popular. The company manager decided to make 2 copies of The Battle of Atlanta. They opened to record crowds in Minneapolis in 1886 and Detroit in 1887.
At least 40 other paintings were touring in the North, and audiences soon grew tired of them. By 1890, the promoters of both copies went bankrupt.
the artists
The first artists arrived in Milwaukee from Germany in May 1885, and the core team was made up of 5 men. One of the artists brought his family with him, but the other artists lived and ate together, developing a strong sense of camaraderie.
The artists personalized their work space with greenery, beer advertisements, flags, a stuffed goose, and a portrait of German Emperor Wilhelm I. They took long breaks over beer or an occasional game of cards.
showing the cycloramas
After its premier in Minneapolis, the first version of The Battle of Atlanta traveled to Indianapolis. It was displayed in the round building at the right hand side of the picture in front of the Indiana State Capitol. At first buildings like this were considered a point of civic pride.
The building was later used for roller skating, bicycle riding, a zoo, and a loop-the-loop roller coaster. It was demolished in 1903.
In Detroit, the copy version drew more than 286,000 customers in the first 20 months of display. When the popularity collapsed, the bankrupt painting was rolled up and placed in storage.
a Southern view of the battle
He planned to show cycloramas in Chattanooga, Nashville, and Atlanta. Mr. Atkinson supported the Lost Cause myth (that we’ll see later in the next post). He thought Civil War cycloramas could be popular with white Southern audiences if the paintings could be changed.
Atkinson hired painters to make captured Confederate soldiers into fleeing U.S. troops. A captured Confederate flag was painted over. He advertised the cyclorama as depicting a Confederate victory.
In August 1893, the painting was sold at auction to cover unpaid rent. Since this battle wasn’t a Confederate victory, most of these changes from 1892 were reversed in the 1930s.
cycloramas still popular
In the 1970s and 1980s, the Soviet Union, China, and other countries began producing cycloramas to celebrate their military victories. Private artists around the world began creating circular compositions of various sizes and subjects after 2000. Some of them have been made with digital artwork printed on cloth. The largest are nearly 100 feet high and 350 feet in circumference.
Now that we’ve seen the artists’ view of the Atlanta final battle, in the next post let’s look at what happened during Reconstruction and the myths of the Civil War that we’ve probably all heard about.
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.