and Panoramas of the 19th Century
In a world that had been swept off its feet by the trickery of P. T. Barnum, Thomas Eakins, and, though somewhat begrudgingly, William Mumler, Henry Roltair took up the task of thrilling audiences with his own illusions. In 1888, after studying extensively under Alexander Herrmann, and American magician, Roltair opened up his famous "Palace of Illusion" at the Buffalo International Industrial Fair. The Buffalo Fair was full of various illusions and general deceptive attractions, all playing on the late-nineteenth century public's desire to be tricked, bamboozled, or allowed the opportunity to simply play the skeptic. Roltair's exhibit, however, stood out as perhaps one of the most famous attractions. Highly influenced by "mirror magic," his individual illusions felt somewhat disjointed to audiences, but this type of show is what they had come to expect over the past few decades. His exhibit was clearly lacking true, living humans or other creatures, but the sights were such a mad spectacle that word of his engineering talent spread like wildfire. Roltair went on to hold a place in the Barnum and Bailey Circus, featuring numerous exhibits such as the Living Sphinx, the Tree of Life, and the Devil's Head on the Pitchfork.
Henry Roltair is proud to present...
Exhibit Booklet Cover, 1904
Roltair's Creation
Henry Roltair's Creation, perhaps his most famous and illustrious piece of illusionary work, was featured at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri. Audiences of the day had never seen anything like this mechanized panorama and were shocked by its ability to totally suspend their belief, even if only momentarily. Modern audiences might find the exhibit comparable to Walt Disney's more recent "It's a Small World" ride. Creation, however, was on an almost drastically larger scale. Audiences would find themselves removed from the fair-like atmosphere immediately upon walking through the towering entrance, filing through a cool, dark chamber to load into small rowboats on a metal track. The artwork and scenery initially led them through detailed views of primitive life and reconstructions of grand natural landmarks. Before landing to view other sections of the exhibit, the boats took the viewers past biblical scenes of ancient Egypt and the Israelites, painting a picture of early civilization. Continuing through the exhibit, the audience got the chance to see some of Roltair's most famous illusional installations along the walking portion of the attraction before climbing to the top floor of the exhibit. From this point they could see the entirety of the panorama, many taking a moment to realize that the boats, which had seemed to move, were actually stationary. In a typical Roltair illusionary fashion, audiences found themselves stunned by experiencing a quick reversal of reality as they discovered it was actually the walls and scenery that were rotating to create the illusion of their own movement. Even in this momentary reveal, a brief drawing back of the illusionary curtain, Roltair did not fail to offer a sensory experience, as audiences were offered panoramic views of Italians cities accompanied by live musicians. Finally, visitors got to experience the most overwhelming part of the exhibit, the earth's creation. In an amphitheater setting, Roltair stepped the audience through each of the seven days of creation with mobile, mechanized scenery being rolled on and off the stage. While the surrounding amphitheater was stationary, this section of the exhibit was perhaps the most disorienting for audiences, showing them vivid sensory sensations through new technological and mechanical wonders.
Come and See God's Creation!
The Rise and Reign of Panoramas
Roltair's Creation did face some sharp criticism from theologians, for while illustrating the biblical creation recorded in Genesis, much of his writings lined up with the scientific evolutionary thought of the day. Many of these critics also attacked Creation on the basis of its artistic value. However, panoramas, at their root, are a valid form of art by almost any definition. Requiring highly skilled work, panoramas seek to allow audiences a full immersion, letting viewers sink into the world the panorama offers as a reality. The value in this art form came strongly into light following Creation. While panoramic paintings had been displayed before, such as Robert Barker's "View of Edinburgh," Creation brought a new scale to the form. This scale was also partially employed by Henry Box Brown in London in his constructed panorama offering a view of life as a slave. Unlike Roltair's, Brown's audiences used installed scaffolding to view various plantation scenes and moments from Brown's life. Brown would not be the last to use Roltair's artistic model as a jumping off point, as interest in panoramas continued throughout the nineteenth century.
--Adelyn Gillon
Works Cited:
Leja, Michael. Looking Askance: Skepticism and American Art from Eakins to Duchamp. Berkeley: U of California, 2004. Print.
All photos and scans found through Google Images