May 10, 2011
The Cincinnati Riverfront Panorama of 1848: A Window to the Past at the Main Library – Public Unveiling: Saturday, May 21
On September 24, 1848, Charles Fontayne and William S. Porter set up their camera on a rooftop in Newport, Kentucky and panned it across the Ohio River capturing on eight separate plates a two-mile span of nation’s sixth largest city, Cincinnati. While Fontayne and Porter knew their project was an ambitious one, they could not have imagined that the Panorama would survive more than 160 years as the oldest comprehensive photograph of an American city, be revered worldwide as one of the finest examples of daguerrean photography, and form the basis for 21st century discoveries about 19th century American life.
The invention of the first practical method of photography, the daguerreotype, by Louis Daguerre was considered a scientific wonder. While expensive and difficult to create, daguerreotypes were noted for their superior level of clarity, exceeding later photographic methods. In 2006, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County contracted with the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film to perform conservation work on the Panorama. As part of the preservation project, state-of-the-art digital microscopy equipment produced digital images from the 1848 Panorama. By combining the clarity of the original object with 21st century technology, the digitally enlarged Panorama revealed previously unseen details of American life including close-ups of river life, the urban landscape, and people at work and play, turning the masterpiece into a virtual time machine.
Share the Experience: Unveiling Ceremony at Main Library - May 21, 2:00 p.m.
You’re invited to a special program celebrating the unveiling of the Library’s treasured Cincinnati Riverfront Panorama of 1848 as it goes on permanent display in The Joseph S. Stern, Jr. Cincinnati Room. The program, to take place in the Main Library’s Atrium on Saturday, May 21 at 2:00 p.m., will feature an illustrated introduction and overview presented by the experts behind the project.
· Kim Fender, the Library's Executive Director, will discuss the provenance and care of the daguerreotype.
· Jason Buydos, the Library’s Assistant Director of Support Services & Project Manager, will discuss the making of the Library’s two interactive, touch screen displays featuring high definition digital images of the Panorama as well as the grant that helped make the panorama more accessible to the public.
· Ralph Wiegandt, Conservator for the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, will discuss the conservation process while explaining how technology of the 21st century assisted him with preservation.
· Patricia Van Skaik, Manager of the Library’s Genealogy & Local History Department, will discuss the data points relating to the history of Cincinnati.
Afterwards take a closer look for yourself. Navigate and zoom in on one of the Library’s touch screen displays for a glimpse of life as it was in 1848 along Cincinnati’s bustling riverfront.
THANKS TO: The display case for the panorama and the two interactive computer displays are made possible through a federal Institute of Museum and Library Services LSTA grant awarded by the State Library of Ohio and matching funds from the Annabelle Fey Trust Fund, The Library Foundation, Anne Drackett Thomas, the Friends of the Public Library, and J. Mack Gamble Fund, Sons & Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen.