"Viewer's keys" to three panoramas exhibited in Leicester Square: Battle of Trafalgar, City of Corfu, and George IV's Coronation Procession
Content Description
This collection consists of the "viewers' keys" of three panoramas created by Henry Aston Barker and shown in "The Panorama" on Leicester Square, London. They depict the Battle of Trafalgar, the City of Corfu (Greece), and George IV's Coronation Procession.
- Battle of Trafalgar, printed by J. Adlard, [1806]. Single sheet, 410 x 330 mm. This is the printed viewer’s "key" to the large-scale version of this panorama, painted in the year of Barker’s death by his son Henry. The original was displayed for over a year from about 14 May 1806 to 25 May 1807 in Leicester Square, and measured about 30 feet high by 90 feet across (9 x 27m), on 10,000 square feet (930 sq. m) of canvas.
- Explanation of a View of the Island and City of Corfu, Exhibiting in the Panorama, printed by J. Strand & C. Adlard, printers, c. 1820. Single sheet, 315 x 465 mm. Engraved by J. Lee, this is the key sheet to the panorama exhibited by Barker in c. 1820.
- Explanation of the Coronation Procession, Exhibiting in Henry Aston Barker’s Panorama, Leicester Square. Printed by Hullmandel, [1822]. Single sheet, 310 x 460 mm. This is the key to Henry’s last panorama.
Dates
- Publication: 1806; c 1820; 1822
Creator
- Barker, Henry Aston, 1774-1856 (Artist) (Artist, Person)
Condition Description
Fair condition, some old creases and yellowing.
Conditions Governing Access
Open. Please contact the repository in advance.
Biographical / Historical
Henry Aston Barker (1774-1856) was the son of Robert Barker (1739-1806), an Irish artist who invented the concept of "panorama" - a 360 degree view designed to be placed round the inside of a cylinder and viewed from the centre. Robert Barker's first exhibtion was in Edinburgh, but soon after he moved to London, where he showed his large-scale panoramas first in an establishement on Castle Street, and then in a purpose-built building in Leicester Square. This was an immediate success, and when he died in 1806, his son and pupil Henry took over the business in partnership with the artist John Burford.
Extent
3 Sheets ; 410 x 330 mm ; 315 x 465 mm ; 310 x 460 mm
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased in September 2021. Accession no. SC-Acc-2021-0079.
Condition Description
Fair condition, some old creases and yellowing.
Processing Information
Catalogued in August 2022 by Aline Brodin, using information from the seller.
Creator
- Barker, Henry Aston, 1774-1856 (Artist) (Artist, Person)
- Title
- Panoramas of the Battle of Trafalgar, of the City of Corfu, and of the Coronation Procession, 1806-1822
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository
Centre for Research Collections
University of Edinburgh Main Library
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
+44(0)131 650 8379
heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk