The moving panorama was a popular form of entertainment in Victorian times. This panorama, which is about 50 metres long, was painted in about 1860 by my great-great grandfather, John Lamb primus, and my great grandfather, John Lamb secundus. It was bequeathed to me by my grandfather, Edgar Lamb, shortly before his death in 1963. He hoped that it could be shown to a wide audience. He described how to make a suitable proscenium for it. The panorama was carefully kept at home, although it was shown to family and visitors only occasionally because of its size and fragility. From 1983 until 2018, the panorama was kept by the Museum of London.
I confess I never followed my grandfather’s suggestions to build the proscenium, and so this website is a very belated attempt to fulfil his wishes in a more contemporary way. Below, you can view a new video of the panorama, made from transparencies taken for the Sehsucht exhibition, Bonn 1993.
The panorama was acquired by the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles in 2018.
Bon voyage!
David Brill
London to Hong Kong in two hours 