A New Kind of Panorama.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Aug., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 15th June, 1891-Accepted, 18th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New Kind of Panorama.
I, HENRI MOTTE, of 94, Rue de Longchamps, Neuilly sur Seine, in the Republic
of France, Artist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:―
The object of this invention is to reproduce the effect or illusion experienced by
travellers in railway carriages, road carriages, vessels, balloons, or other vehicles
when looking at the country of the telegraph posts, trees, houses, fields and hills
disappearing behind him or when looking at a stationary train of such train moving.
In carrying out the invention I advantageously arrange pictures concentrically
before the eye of a spectator. These pictures which represent several views of a
landscape are painted, cut out or otherwise produced on panels and moved at varying
rates of speed. The panel nearest the spectator receives the quickest movement
while the panel the furthest removed may turn very slowly and even remain
motionless when it represents the back ground and the horizon.
To vary the effect produced in some cases I arrange the prominent features of
each view on radial arms which while only allowing one of the objects to be seen at
one time by the spectator at each motion replaces one object by another, say, for
example, a tree by a house, a house by a person, etc. Suitable means such as a
ratchet are provided for stopping the motion of the arms.
The effect of the illusion is the same if the spectators are in carriages which
carriages receive a movement the direction of which is inverse to that of the
moving panels.
In some cases the pictures are placed parallelwise.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
+, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New Kind of Panorama.
I, HENRI MOTTE, of 94, Rue de Longchamps, Neuilly sur Seine, in the Republic
of France, Artist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement : --
The object of this invention is to reproduce the effect or illusion experienced by
travellers in railway carriages, road carriages, vessels, balloons or other vehicles
when looking at the country, of the telegraph posts, trees, houses, fields and hills
disappearing behind them or, when looking at a stationary train, of such train
moving.
In carrying out the invention 1 advantageously arrange pictures concentrically
before the eye of a spectator. These pictures which represent several views of a
landscape are painted, cut out or otherwise produced on panels and moved at varying
rates of speed. The panel nearest the spectator receives the quickest movement
while the panel the furthest removed may turn very slowly and even remain
motionless when it represents the background and the horizon.
To vary the effect produced in some cases 1 arrange the prominent features of
each view on radial arms which, while only allowing one of the objects to be seen at
one time by the spectator at each motion, replaces one object by another, say, for
example, a tree by a house, a house by a person, etc.
Suitable means such as a
ratchet are provided for stopping the motion of the arms.

page_text: The effect of the illusion is the same if the spectators are in carriages, which
carriages receive a movement, the direction of which is inverse to that of the
moving panels.
In some cases the pictures are placed parallelwise.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe how it can be
carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figures and 2 are a vertical section and a horizontal section respectively
shewing by way of example one arrangement of my new kind of panorama in which
the spectators are seated in carriages moving around the exterior of the arrangement
of movable panels.
The seats A for the spectators are arranged in compartments B connected together
in series so as to present from the exterior the appearance of a train of railway
carriages preceded by a locomotive. The latter placed at C contains two reserve
compartments D, D. The compartments B are slightly inclined in the direction of
the radius and the seats are arranged in stages in each of them so as to allow all
the spectators to have a good view.
The openings through which the landscape is seen are deep and provided with
sides or checks a for limiting the view of the spectators to a portion only of the
landscape which is displayed before them.
The carriages are supported upon axles E, each of which carries at its middle
part a flanged wheel b running over a circular rail c and at its two ends wheels a not
in contact with the ground, and which, as they revolve with the axle, appear
outside like real travelling wheels.
The arrangement of carriages is set in motion by means of a central pulley e which
rotates at a certain speed under the action of another pulley with which it is
connected by a driving band or rope g.
The outermost panel F turns. in a reverse direction to the carriages and the
interior panels turn either in a reverse direction to or in the same direction as the
carriages according to the speed which it is required they shall have with relation
to the spectators. They are provided with pulleys of suitable diameters driven by
other pulleys mounted on the same shaft as the pulley f connected to a suitable motor
such as a steam, gas, electric or hydraulic engine or even a motor worked by
manual or animal power, the said motor being placed outside the structure.
The panels are fixed by their base on rings mounted upon tubular shafts fitted
one within the other, each carrying its driving pulley at its lower end.
The central panel G which affords precision to the supposed journey by giving
the aspect of the country passed through by the traveller is arranged by preference
in the following manner:
It consists of several cylinders (four being shewn on the drawings) placed one
within the other and each of them is painted differently so as to be able to vary the
background of the landscape at will.
The interior cylinder alone is fixed to the ring which connects it to its driving
pulley the others may be mounted on the upper part of the structure so as to allow
of their being withdrawn from the view of the spectators. According as one or the
other of the panels is allowed to appear the landscape is altered and presents a
different aspect.
Figures 3 and 4 are diagrammatic views drawn to a smaller scale illustrating
an arrangement of my panorama in which the spectators are placed inside the
arrangement of panels. The seats A for the spectators are arranged in the form of
an amphitheatre at the centre of the structure; the movable panels supported upon
rails H are caused to move by a series of pulleys or gearing or by means of friction-
wheels connected with the motor which is here shewn as a horse-gear placed in the
centre of the structure. Access is afforded to the interior by means of two foot-
bridges I which form a communication between the outside staircases K and the
inner staircases L.
Figures 5 and 6 are respectively a section and an elevation of a detail illustrating
a method of moving the panels. Each panel is provided with rollers & running upon

page_text: circular rails and is moved by a pulley k on which is wound a cord which also
passes over a flange or ring m at the base of the panel F. All the driving pulleys k
are mounted on the same shaft driven by a suitable motor.
Figures 7 and 8 are a section and an elevation respectively illustrating another
method of moving the panels.
They are mounted as in Figure 1 upon rings connected by arms n to collars o passed
over a common shaft in the middle of the central panel.
P
Each of the collars o is provided with teeth on its upper surface and with teeth s
on its lower surface. The upper teeth of one collar are connected by pinions & or
by friction-rollers with the lower teeth of the collar above it; the pinions t are of
suitable relative diameters to allow of communicating the necessary speeds to the
different collars o. It will be readily understood that by causing any one of the
panels to move it will move the others with it through the medium of the collars o
and pinions t
Figure 9 is an elevation illustrating a means of causing the aspect of certain
panels to vary by the substitution of one object for another in the landscape.
1
The object arms R (four in number on the drawings) are mounted on a shaft
behind the panel and are carried by a ratchet-wheel e, the pawl a of which prevents
its backward movement. The whole is arranged in such a manner as to only allow
the spectator to see one of the objects at a time.
A fixed catch, which comes in contact with the ratchet wheel at each revolution
of the panel causes the arms which carry the objects to rotate and substitute
another object for that which was visible before.
In apparatuses of very large dimensions a gallery can be arranged on the inner
face of the panel and a man traversing this gallery could move the object arms by
hand or even cause them to disappear entirely. This latter arrangement would be
especially applicable in the case where the spectators are moving as, in this case,
the panels nearest the spectators turning in the reverse direction, and the panels
nearest the centre turning in the same direction at a speed so nearly approaching
that of the spectators that they seem to travel less fast, an immovable panel can be
provided which should appear to have in a reverse direction the speed at which the
spectators really move. This arrangement will be found most suitable for an
interior gallery serving to facilitate the substitution of one of the object arms for
another as above referred to.
Figure 10 is a diagram shewing a plan of an arrangement of panels which could
be employed to vary the aspect of the landscape.
The central panel G forming the background of the landscape has wound upon it
a painted cloth which is unrolled during the movement of the panel and is wound onto
a cylinder M located in a place inaccessible to the public. This cloth must be
sufficiently long in unwinding to illustrate the whole journey which, for example,
might be from Paris to Dijon.
The outer panel F can be also surrounded like a drop-scene in a theatre with a
painted cloth on which would be represented, for example, the interior of a railway
station. This cloth in being wound upon the cylinders N which are invisible to the
public or in unwinding at the end of the entertainment would allow of simulating
with greater exactness the departure and arrival of the spectators.
With apparatuses of small dimensions I can replace the cut-out panels by
paintings on transparent surfaces.
When the spectator is supposed to be in a railway carriage, cut-out panels will
represent on the first plan the embankment or the excavation with the telegraph
posts, on the second plan trees, on the third plan fields with houses, and on the
fourth plan the coasts, the backgrounds and the sky at the horizon.
All these objects will appear to pass in front of the spectator who will experience
the illusion of seeing the country represented unfolded to his view.
The principle of my invention is not only applicable to panoramas for practical use
but also for producing theatrical effects and to the construction of toys.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A new kind of panorama in which is produced the effect or illusion experienced
by travellers in railway carriages, road carriages, vessels, balloons, or other vehicles,
when looking at the country, of the various objects disappearing behind them,
the said panorama consisting of images cut out, placed or painted on parallel planes
or on concentric surfaces to which motion is communicated at different speeds
inversely proportionate to the distances that they represent in perspective, or, if the
spectator himself moves, with the differences of speed necessary to produce the
same effect.
2. The various arrangements herein described for giving motion to the panels or
for varying the aspect of the panorama during the course of one representation and
the employment of transparent materials having different pictures painted thereon.
3. Panoramas constructed and arranged in the manner hereinbefore described
with reference to the various figures of the accompanying drawings.
Datel the 15th day of June 1801
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.