Cyclorama

Panoramas were invented by Irish painter Robert Barker,[1] who wanted to find a way to capture the panoramic view from Calton Hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland.

This work by Lucien-Pierre Sergent and Joseph Bertrand traveled to New York, Chicago and San Francisco and Tokyo.

The Era's drama critic detailed how it was achieved by "four great cradles, 20ft in length and 14ft wide, which are movable back and front on railways".

The Sketch's critic called it "thrilling and realistic ... enough to make the fortune of any play" and noted that "the stage, which has to bear 30 tons' weight of chariots and horses, besides huge crowds, has had to be expressly strengthened and shored up".

[5] It went on to inspire the multi-Oscar-winning 1959 film adaptation of Ben Hur, starring Charlton Heston – featuring the key live chariot race.