"Panoramas of Leicester Square"
Dublin Core
Title
"Panoramas of Leicester Square"
Subject
This article looks at two of the panoramas on display at, presumably but never definitely, Leicester Square in England. The author describes "Polar Expedition," and "View of Venice," illustrated by Lieutenant Beechey and 'Barker and Burford,' respectively.
Description
"Polar Expedition" is made from drawings taken by Beechey after a 40 mile expedition through the polar ice, finally arriving at clear water. The contrast of the blue water and the near white ice formations gave the drawings a cutting edge against the dominantly white polar drawings that the author insinuates were in the public eye before "Polar Expedition." Viewers of the panorama were said to have felt a sudden chilliness at how realistic the ice appeared. The quality of the sky was also spectacular, with breaks in the clouds allowing sunlight to make its way down onto the ice. Beechey also includes his travel partners and their ships in the drawings; the author brilliantly writes that this helped, "conceal the deception of art." This panorama also contains more than 7 types of birds as well as polar bears, walruses and seals. Note is made of the varying expressions on each of the non-flying animals.
"View of Venice" is drawn at an elevated level of the Piazzi di St. Marco, so most of the Venice skyline is visible as well as some things in the distance. Unfortunately, the city's famous canals are not visible. Some of the most notable sights are the Ducal Palace, the Carnival, the whole of the city's square, and most importantly the Church of Saint Mark. A fair amount of space is allocated to the history and details of the Church, going from the histories of landmarks outside the Church as well as it's interior design. It's almost a strange amount of space given for these purposes, almost an entire page worth, so the Church must have been of the most notable landmarks in all of 19th Century Europe. The article ends with the claim that Venice may be one of the most beautiful cities in the world with its interesting combination of well kept floral designs, and remnants of Ancient designs.
"View of Venice" is drawn at an elevated level of the Piazzi di St. Marco, so most of the Venice skyline is visible as well as some things in the distance. Unfortunately, the city's famous canals are not visible. Some of the most notable sights are the Ducal Palace, the Carnival, the whole of the city's square, and most importantly the Church of Saint Mark. A fair amount of space is allocated to the history and details of the Church, going from the histories of landmarks outside the Church as well as it's interior design. It's almost a strange amount of space given for these purposes, almost an entire page worth, so the Church must have been of the most notable landmarks in all of 19th Century Europe. The article ends with the claim that Venice may be one of the most beautiful cities in the world with its interesting combination of well kept floral designs, and remnants of Ancient designs.
Creator
Ackermann's Repository
Publisher
HathiTrust
Date
1824
Format
Periodical
Language
English
Type
Arts
Files
Citation
Ackermann's Repository, “"Panoramas of Leicester Square",” Manhattan College Omeka , accessed November 21, 2024, https://omeka-pilot.manhattan.edu/items/show/324.