H.H. Bennett & Civil War Cycloramas

H.H. Bennett & Civil War Cycloramas. "...A unique set of H. H. Bennett photographs recorded two Civil War cycloramas created in the 1880s, depicting the Battle of Gettysburg (specifically Pickett's Charge) and the Battle of Missionary Ridge (Chattanooga, Tennessee). A cyclorama is a panoramic display of huge oil-on-canvas paintings mounted on the walls inside a large round building built especially for it, with a viewing platform in the center. These massive paintings were given a more realistic quality from the actual objects, landscaping, and life-size figures placed in front of them. The cyclorama was a primitive precursor to today's IMAX, giving the feeling of being in the middle of a scene." From H. H. Bennett – Photographer Extraordinaire at the Wisconsin Historical Society.