A Larger View: Historic Panoramic Photographs

Large panoramic photographs of landscapes or groups have been around since the invention of photography. Unlike today and the ease of taking a “pano” on a cell phone, panoramic photographs were taken on special cameras beginning in the 1840s. Capturing these large-scale photographs was a very involved and complex process. By the late 1890s and early 1900s, mass-produced panoramic cameras were introduced by Al-Vista, Kodak, Cirkut, and Sears, Roebuck & Co. Some were made for amateurs, like the Kodak, while others, like the Cirkut, were used by professional photographers.

This exhibition will discuss the history of the early photographic processes of taking and creating panoramic photographs through cameras and photographs from The Grace’s permanent collection. In addition, the exhibition will also highlight groups from Abilene featured in the photographs such as the students of the Draughon’s Business College in 1926, workers at the Cotton Compress in 1942, and the Abilene Shakespeare Club women in the early 1900s.

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