The Atlanta History Center has re-opened an 1880s ancestor of Imax—an immense 360° cyclorama painting of the 1864 Battle of Atlanta, one of only two surviving cycloramas.
Once a popular money-making art form in an age when nothing else was as vivid a way to tell a big story, the painting is 49 feet tall, longer than a football field and weighs 10,000 pounds. In the Atlanta presentation, the 1880s immersive is enhanced with multi-media projections and sounds.
The only other remaining cyclorama, in Pennsylvania, is the Battle of Gettysburg. The Atlanta exhibit has been installed in a custom-made new space.
It’s also been the subject of historical revision. The Battle of Atlanta was a big defeat for the Confederates, but the painting was originally for Northern audiences. When it got to Atlanta in 1892, the fleeing Confederates were repainted in blue, and the victorious U.S. Army in Confederate gray. In the 1930s, history was restored.
