John Banvard was born in 1815 in upper state New York. His parents were affluent enough to send him to primary school where he learned to read and write and also discovered that he enjoyed drawing. When he was fifteen his father died and his family was forced to sell their land. So, like many young men of his generation, he headed west.
For a few years he settled in Louisville, Kentucky, working in a pharmacy and at various other odd jobs. Louisville was a growing city and a popular stop for the many showboats that traveled along the Ohio River. Perhaps those boats inspired Banvard and his friends to buy an old barge and set up a traveling exhibition. The exhibition proved short-lived, but it gave Banvard his first look at the Mississippi River.
Between 1840 and 1843 Banvard rowed up the Mississippi alone in small skiff, drawing views of the river and its shores. After he returned to Louisville, he built his own studio and transferred his drawings to a series of large canvases that he attached together in a single strip that could be rolled onto wooden dowels. He often told people his completed painting stretched three miles, but a more realistic estimate puts it just short of a half-mile, which still made it the biggest painting of his day. Though he first had difficulty attracting viewers, Banvard’s Mississippi Panorama eventually became an enormous success. He exhibited it on the east coast and later in England and throughout continental Europe.
For many years he was the most famous and wealthiest artist in the western world. He was not, however, a good businessman. Several disastrous financial schemes left him nearly penniless. In order to pay his debts, he had to sell his Mississippi Panorama, one section at a time. Much of it ended up serving as backdrops for vaudeville acts. Only a few scattered remnants of the work remain.
Banvard died in 1891. He may not be remembered as a great artist, but he was one of the first to bring the beauty of the American landscape to the attention of the world.
You can read more about John Banvard and his times at the following sites:
Mississippi River: Moving Panoramas
Banvard's Folly: Atlas Obscura
The Panorama Effect: A Mass Medium is Born
For a few years he settled in Louisville, Kentucky, working in a pharmacy and at various other odd jobs. Louisville was a growing city and a popular stop for the many showboats that traveled along the Ohio River. Perhaps those boats inspired Banvard and his friends to buy an old barge and set up a traveling exhibition. The exhibition proved short-lived, but it gave Banvard his first look at the Mississippi River.
Between 1840 and 1843 Banvard rowed up the Mississippi alone in small skiff, drawing views of the river and its shores. After he returned to Louisville, he built his own studio and transferred his drawings to a series of large canvases that he attached together in a single strip that could be rolled onto wooden dowels. He often told people his completed painting stretched three miles, but a more realistic estimate puts it just short of a half-mile, which still made it the biggest painting of his day. Though he first had difficulty attracting viewers, Banvard’s Mississippi Panorama eventually became an enormous success. He exhibited it on the east coast and later in England and throughout continental Europe.
For many years he was the most famous and wealthiest artist in the western world. He was not, however, a good businessman. Several disastrous financial schemes left him nearly penniless. In order to pay his debts, he had to sell his Mississippi Panorama, one section at a time. Much of it ended up serving as backdrops for vaudeville acts. Only a few scattered remnants of the work remain.
Banvard died in 1891. He may not be remembered as a great artist, but he was one of the first to bring the beauty of the American landscape to the attention of the world.
You can read more about John Banvard and his times at the following sites:
Mississippi River: Moving Panoramas
Banvard's Folly: Atlas Obscura
The Panorama Effect: A Mass Medium is Born