Name/Title
Cyclorama Trade CardEntry/Object ID
2022.035.012Description
An engraved trade card advertising for the Cyclorama. The card consists of a red inked engraving of the round building located near the Union Depot, in between Boyce and Carter Streets by contractor H.C. Jackson for . The structure, which was custom built to house the large panoramic paintings and dioramas, had a mansard roof with a dome at the top. Word on the side of the structures reads "CYCLORAMA, Storming of Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain". The entrance to the building consisted of two towers with crenelated peaks and lancet windows. Several horse drawn conveyances are on the street in front of the Cyclorama: a closed carriage and what appears to be a cannon in a wagon. Beside the structure is a tall tower structure (possibly what an article referred to as the "Missionary Ridge Battle Tower" and "10 McNally Co" is printed beneath it.
The card reads:
"DON'T MISS IT!
"Chattanooga's Greatest Attraction,"
THE
CYCLORAMA
NOW OPEN
Near Union Depot.
"Battle of Atlanta."
Admission, 25 Cents."
1891 is written in pencil on the bottom.
The rear reads:
"OH, MAMA!
I DON'T DOUBT IT.
When a pair of red lips are upturned to your own,
With no one to gossip about it,
Do you pray for endurance to let them alone?
Well, may be you do, but I doubt it.
When a sly little hand you're permitted to seize,
With a velvety softness about it,
Do you think you can drop it with never a squeeze?
Well, maybe you can, but I doubt it.
When a tapering waist is in reach of your arm,
With a wonderful plumpness about it,
Do you argue the point twixt the good and the harm?
Well, may be you do, but I doubt it.
And if by these tricks you should capture a heart,
With womanly sweetness about it,
If you would guard it, keep it, and act the good part,
You'll visit the CYCLORAMA, - I don't doubt it."
The cyclorama opened 1 July 1890 to the public to show the 14,000 pound painting of the Battle of Missionary Ridge, with the plan that the building would be finished and the panoramic (which was previously on display in Philadelphia) would be exhibited to Chattanoogans. The panoramic painting measured 50 x 400 feet and was painted by Eugene Bracht, Karl Roechling, George Koch and their assistants who painted it in Germany after a study of the battleground. Another artist, Thomas Esori, touched up any damage to the painting when it was received from Germany where the painting was finished. When it was shipped, the duty on the painting cost $10,000. The cyclorama is a 100 degree view of a battle scene with a central viewing platform. The ground floor up to the painting edge was a diorama filled with three dimensional terrain. The painting went on display in 1890 but was moved to Atlanta's Cyclorama in 1891 while the above advertised "Battle of Atlanta" was on exhibit. As the years passed, the Cyclorama fell into disrepair, needing $1,500 worth of work before the exhibition of the "Battle of Gettysburg". By May of 1896, the building was in such a state of disrepair that it fell down before it was able to be torn down.Collection
Chattanooga Business CollectionPublication Details
Illustrator
McNally CoDate Published
1891Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
The Cyclorama of Missionary RidgeCopyright
Restrictions
Credit Chattanooga Historical Society
Reproduction permitted for non-profit educational and research purposes only
