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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Cumberland Township near Gettysburg in Adams County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
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Cyclorama Focal Point

July 3, 1863 - Third Day

 
 
Cyclorama Focal Point Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, December 27, 2008
1. Cyclorama Focal Point Marker
Inscription. "You will find hard work to convince yourself that you are not standing on the top of Cemetery Ridge in the very center of the position occupied by the troops of the Northern army on that memorable day in July ...."
Boston Sunday Globe
December 20, 1884
Preview of the Cyclorama exhibit

In 1882, 19 years after the battle, the renowned French artist Paul Philippoteaux journeyed to Gettysburg to study the battlefield and interview veterans. He chose the spot where you are now standing to be the focal point of a monumental 360° painting, or cyclorama, depicting the climax of Pickett's Charge.

Using sketches, notes, and photos made here, Philippoteaux returned to Paris, where, with the aid of five other artists, he completed the cyclorama in just two years for an exhibition in Chicago. Later he completed a second cyclorama nearly identical to the first. This second painting was exhibited in Boston in 1884, and later in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.

In 1913 the "Boston" version of the cyclorama was brought to Gettysburg for the 50th Anniversary of the battle. Later the National Park Service acquired and restored the painting. Today the cyclorama is exhibited in the cylindrical building behind you, within sight of the historic landscape it depicts.
 
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Gettysburg National Military Park.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is July 3, 1863.
 
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 39° 48.802′ N, 77° 14.117′ W. Marker was near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in Adams County. It was in Cumberland Township. Marker was on Hancock Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Located near the Angle and High Water Mark on Cemetery Ridge in Gettysburg National Military Park. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Gettysburg PA 17325, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. Gettysburg Cyclorama (here, next to this marker); Army of the Potomac (a few steps from this marker); Fourth Volunteer Brigade (a few steps from this marker); 99th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers (a few steps from this marker); The Aftermath (a few steps from this marker); Defining Moments (a few steps from this marker); Arnold's Battery (a few steps from this marker); Battery K, 1st N.Y. Light Artillery (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gettysburg.
 
More about this marker. In the upper center is a section of the cyclorama. In this quarter-section of the Gettysburg Cyclorama
Close Up of the Painting Section image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, December 27, 2008
2. Close Up of the Painting Section
painting, you are looking south along Cemetery Ridge toward the Round Tops.
Numbered highlights include:
(1) 72nd Penna. Infantry being pressed into battle
(2) Union Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock and staff
(3) Little Round Top
(4) Big Round Top
(5) Copse of Trees

On the lower right is a photograph of the landscape. To accurately record landscape details, artist Paul Philippoteaux made arrangements with local photographer William Tipton to take photographs of the surrounding area in 1882. The photographs, including this view to the south, were taken from an elevated platform located here.

In the lower center is a photograph of Philippoteaux at work. French painter Paul Philippoteaux at work on the Gettysburg Cyclorama in the 1880s. Today the completed painting measures 26 feet high and 360 feet long.
 
Regarding Cyclorama Focal Point. The Cyclorama building mentioned in the marker text is now closed. The painting was moved to the new Gettysburg visitor center to the east of Taneytown Road.
 
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. New Marker At This Location titled "Gettysburg Cylcorama".
 
Cyclorama Focal Point Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, December 27, 2008
3. Cyclorama Focal Point Marker
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 11, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,274 times since then and 10 times this year. Last updated on March 30, 2022, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on February 11, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 28, 2024