After a five-year hiatus, the Gettysburg Cyclorama is scheduled to reopen in September. A cyclorama is a huge photo or video presentation inside of an enclosed area, usually a walled area, but in the case of the Gettysburg Cyclorama it is a huge canvas in which visitors will be able to stand in the middle of as if in the center of the actual battle at Gettysburg.

The Gettysburg Cyclorama was created by Paul Philippoteaux in 1884. It depicts Pickett’s Charge, which took place on July 3, 1863, considered by most historians to be the turning point of the Civil War that led to the Union Army having the upper hand. The restoration of the Gettysburg Cyclorama is being funded by The National Park Service and The Gettysburg Foundation. Upon completion, the cyclorama will be aired at the Gettysburg National Military Park’s new museum and visitor center.

The large painting created by Philippoteaux is 377 feet in circumference and 42 feet tall. First showed in Boston, the event has been seen by thousands. The new restoration will be accompanied by donated Civil War artifacts. It looks like it will be a great show.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at 11:08 am and is filed under Arts, Civil War, Gettysburg, History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.