Cosmo-Diorama Genus (ca. 1826-1887)

Figure GCD.1 –Pœcilorama Housed in the Egyptian Hall, London
Source: Blunt, C. “Popular Description of the Cosmorama.” La Belle Assemblée 24, no. 155 (1821): 233.

A Cosmo-Diorama is an Indoor Cosmorama that uses illuminated transparencies to create changing atmospheric effects. It is an example of an “optical machine ” and is included in the Optical Machine Taxonomy as one of five genuses of the cosmorama family.

 

“The varied effect of light upon the view, from the lighter and more evanescent tints of clear atmosphere to the lowering obscuration of a storm, is very skilfully managed, and makes the delusion complete.“^[xxx]

 

“In the cosmorama of Regent Street, the great fire of Edinburgh was admirably re-presented:— first, that fine city was seen sleeping in darkness,while the fire began, then the conflagration grew and lighted up the sky, and soon, at short intervals, as the wind increased, or as roofs fell in, there were bursts of flame towering to heaven,and vividly reflected from every wall or spire which caught the direct light — then clouds of smoke were seen rising in rapid succession and sailing northward upon the wind, until they disappeared in the womb of distant darkness. No one can have viewed that appalling scene with indifference, and the impression left by the representation, on those who knew the city, can scarcely have been weaker than that left on those who saw the reality. The mechanism for producing such effects is very simple; but spectators, that they may fully enjoy them, need not particularly inquire about it.“^[xxx]

 

List of Species

Each row in the following table represents a different species:

 

Paper Diorama Cosmorama:
	Pœcilorama	Cremorne Cosmorama	Albany Street Cosmorama

Text relevant to first species

 

Glass Cosmorama:
	Royal Polytechnic Cosmorama

Text relevant to first species

 

Endnotes: