John Banvard
Encyclopedia
John Banvard was a U.S.
panorama
and portrait painter known for his panoramic views of the Mississippi River Valley.
John Banvard was born in New York
and was educated in high school. When his father went bankrupt, he began to travel around the United States, and supported himself with paintings he exhibited.
In 1840 he began to paint large panoramas of the whole Mississippi River
valley. He traveled through the area in a boat, made preliminary drawings and supported himself with paintings and hunting. He combined the preliminary sketches and transferred them to a canvas
in a building erected for this purpose in Louisville, Kentucky
. His largest panorama began as 12 feet (3,6 m) high and 1300 feet (369 m) long and was eventually expanded to about half a mile (about 800 meters) although it was advertised as a "three-mile canvas". It toured around the nation, and was eventually cut up in to hundreds of pieces, none of which still exist today.
Scientific American
magazine published a piece under 'New Inventions' in its issue of December 16, 1848, describing and illustrating Banvard's mechanism for displaying a moving panorama
.
In 1846 he began to travel with this panorama in Europe
, Asia
and Africa
and even gave Queen Victoria a private view
ing. His portrait was painted in 1849 by the English artist Anna Mary Howitt
. During his travels he also painted panoramas in Palestine
and the Nile River Valley.
On his return his invested part of the fortune he had made in 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) overlooking Cold Spring Harbor
on the North Shore of Long Island, where in 1852-55, in competition with P. T. Barnum
's palace "Iranistan
" in Bridgeport, Connecticut
, he proceeded to design and have built a baronial residence from its eastern shore, which, it was given out, was intended to resemble Windsor Castle
; he named the place Glenada, the glen of his daughter Ada, but the locals called it "Banvard's Folly". After his death it became a fashionable resort hotel, The Glenada.
The Brooklyn-based history band Pinataland
recorded a song about Banvard's travails for their 2008 album "Songs for the Forgotten Future Vol. 2".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
panorama
Panorama
A panorama is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film/video, or a three-dimensional model....
and portrait painter known for his panoramic views of the Mississippi River Valley.
John Banvard was born in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and was educated in high school. When his father went bankrupt, he began to travel around the United States, and supported himself with paintings he exhibited.
In 1840 he began to paint large panoramas of the whole Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
valley. He traveled through the area in a boat, made preliminary drawings and supported himself with paintings and hunting. He combined the preliminary sketches and transferred them to a canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
in a building erected for this purpose in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. His largest panorama began as 12 feet (3,6 m) high and 1300 feet (369 m) long and was eventually expanded to about half a mile (about 800 meters) although it was advertised as a "three-mile canvas". It toured around the nation, and was eventually cut up in to hundreds of pieces, none of which still exist today.
Scientific American
Scientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
magazine published a piece under 'New Inventions' in its issue of December 16, 1848, describing and illustrating Banvard's mechanism for displaying a moving panorama
Moving panorama
The moving panorama was a relative, more in concept than design, to panoramic painting, but proved to be more durable than its fixed and immense cousin. The word “panorama” is derived from the Greek words “to see” and “all.” Robert Barker invented the first panorama to describe his impressive...
.
In 1846 he began to travel with this panorama in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and even gave Queen Victoria a private view
Private view
A private view is a special viewing of an art exhibition by invitation only, normal at the start of a public exhibition. Typically wine and light refreshments are served on the form of a reception. If the artworks are by a living artist, it is normal for them to attend the private view.An opening...
ing. His portrait was painted in 1849 by the English artist Anna Mary Howitt
Anna Mary Howitt
Anna Mary Howitt was an English painter, writer and feminist.-Artist and feminist:...
. During his travels he also painted panoramas in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and the Nile River Valley.
On his return his invested part of the fortune he had made in 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) overlooking Cold Spring Harbor
Cold Spring Harbor, New York
Cold Spring Harbor is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 4,975.Cold Spring Harbor is in the Town of Huntington.-History:...
on the North Shore of Long Island, where in 1852-55, in competition with P. T. Barnum
P. T. Barnum
Phineas Taylor Barnum was an American showman, businessman, scam artist and entertainer, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and for founding the circus that became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus....
's palace "Iranistan
Iranistan
Iranistan was a Moorish Revival mansion in Bridgeport, Connecticut that was commissioned by P. T. Barnum in 1848. It was designed by the Austrian-American architect Leopold Eidlitz. At this "beautiful country seat" Barnum played host to such famous contemporaries as Matthew Arnold, George Custer,...
" in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
, he proceeded to design and have built a baronial residence from its eastern shore, which, it was given out, was intended to resemble Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
; he named the place Glenada, the glen of his daughter Ada, but the locals called it "Banvard's Folly". After his death it became a fashionable resort hotel, The Glenada.
The Brooklyn-based history band Pinataland
Piñataland
Piñataland is a Brooklyn-based musical group created by David Wechsler and Doug Stone. Their songs are often about obscure historical events and people, including, among others:*The pygmy Ota Benga...
recorded a song about Banvard's travails for their 2008 album "Songs for the Forgotten Future Vol. 2".
Further reading
- Dorothy Dondore. Banvard's Panorama and the Flowering of New England. The New England Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 4 (Dec., 1938), pp. 817-826.
- John Hanners. A Tale of Two Artists: Anna Mary Howitt's Portrait of John Banvard. Minnesota History, Vol. 50, No. 5 (Spring, 1987), pp. 204-208.
- Paul S. Collins. Banvard's Folly: Thirteen Tales of People Who Didn't Change the World (ISBN 978-0312300333).