The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-12-05
INVENTED pANORAMAS


4
| Painted ~ a Beginner-A Rival Claim
ant-The Panorama of Joan Of Arc.
Robert Barker Is generally credited
with being the first painterof panoramas
as we know them today. He was born
| in Edinburgh, where he lived for sixty
years during the last century. Originally
he made his living by painting portraits,
and it is said Of him that the first notion
of n pic,tire that would take in the entire
| scene visible from a certain point on
every side occurred to him when he was
sitting on the top Of Carlton hill in
scotland's capital. He went home and
began painting on a cylindrical surfaced
picture of the town as it appears to any
body viewing it from that famous emf
nence, which would include Arthurs
seat. the Castle Rock and the distant
I Firth Of Forth.
SIR JOSHUA CONVINCED.
Ills first picture was on paper pasted
| on TO linen. He came TO London with IL,
and invoked the patronage of Sir Joshua
REYNOLDS, who declared the plan of such
a picture 50 impracticable that he would
willingly, he said, get out of his bed at
night time to inspect the work of art II
il could be produced. When Barker did
actually surmount all difficulties and
opened his panoramic exhibition In
Castle street, leicester square, skeptical
Sir Joshua was as good, or almost as
good, as his promise. lie sailed forth
one morning in his slippers from his
breakfast table to see the marvel, and,
having received ocular demonstration
that panorama was a possibility, gen
crously congratulated the artist on his
success.
The first picture was painted in a cir
Gle, the diameter of which was twenty
five feet, but afterwards Barker became
more ambitious. He had succeeded with
Edinburgh, why should he not try Lon
don. This he at once set to work doing.
and he produced picture taken from
an elevated position in the old Albion
mills, near Blackfriars bridge. BY dint
Of "pegging away" and with the assist
ance of one or two kindly and wealthy
patrons. such rs Lord Elcho. Barker had
contrived TO snatch pecuniary success
out of the jaws Of apparent failure, and
five wears after he arrived in London, in
1913. he took the lease of a piece of
ground i'm Cranhourn street and erected
thereon a large building simply and
solely for the purpose of exhibiting his
panoramas there. 4 joint stock company
helped him to find funds for this build
ing, where he had three rooms, in the
largest Of which the diameter of the pic
ture was ninety feet, and the chief open
ing attraction was a representation OF.
review Of the fleet at Spithead. This
succeeded so well that the inventive Bar
ker bought up the shares in his own COM
pany and became sole proprietor.
From this time onward the Leiceters
square panorama was one of the lions Of
London, and its inventor having made a
thoroughly good thing out Of it, and
having pleased and improved the minds
of countless spectators, died in the year
1896, leaving his profitable occupation to
his con, Henry Aston Barker, "who kept
on the business still, resigned, or not as
the case might be, unto th9 heavenly
VIII At all events Barker the younger
was n conscientious panoramist, for he
ourneyea all over Europe in his search
ior subjects" He "panoramed" Malta
and Elba and in the course Of his visit
20 the latter place interviewed the great
Napoleon lie illustrated Nelson's most
famous sea fights, and he went to Con
slan,inople and Waterloo to make draw
ing5 Of each.