New Missouri History Museum exhibit features oversize images of early St. Louis
"Panoramas of the City" presents more than 60 panoramic photographs taken between 1900–1950.
Photo courtesy of the Missouri History Museum
In "Panoramas of the City," the Missouri History Museum explores the history of St. Louis through early panoramic photos taken between 1900–1950. The 6,000 square-foot exhibition, on view through March 24, features seven floor-to-ceiling images of images of iconic and everyday scenes in the city’s history that have been blown up to a never-before-seen scale, allowing visitors to fully immerse themselves in the scene.
One of the life-size photos depicts hundreds of thousands of revelers on Art Hill for Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 Welcome Home Celebration. Another shows protestors marching down Olive Street with the League of Women Voters in 1920. In addition to these large-scale reproductions, more than 60 other panoramas of various sizes are also on display.
The stories in each of the seven featured panoramas are brought to life with artifacts from the Museum’s collection, including a model of the steamboat “Virginia”, a Veiled Prophet Queen’s gown, several of Lindbergh’s trophies, and more.
“What makes these panoramic photos such a rich historical resource is that they show us views of history that are unavailable to us otherwise. We all know what a big deal it was when Lindbergh came back to St. Louis after his flight across the Atlantic. But, when you see a panorama of over 100,000 people gathered on Art Hill, just to have the opportunity to see and hear him, you gain a new appreciation for what he meant to people,” said Adam Kloppe, public historian for the Missouri History Museum. “You can read about destruction wrought by the tornado that struck St. Louis in September of 1927, but seeing a panorama of a street in ruins, with people captured in the frame who are trying to pick up their lives, you gain a new understanding of just how devastating it was.”
The exhibit is also piloting a new accessibility feature: audio description recordings of the seven main panoramas. There are 15 audio players available to check out for free at the information desk on the north side of the Missouri History Museum.
Photo courtesy of the Missouri History Museum
This post was created by St. Louis Magazine Partner Studio on behalf of the Missouri History Museum. Visit their website to learn more about the Panoramas of the City exhibit.
