The Hague - Mesdag Panorama

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buildings to heighten the illusion, leaving the spectator with no point of reference in reality.

The production of panoramas was a costly business. The artists, directed by a team leader, copied on to canvas fixed to scaffolding the sketches which they had made in the field. The painting then traveled from town to town like a circus, often suffering damage in the process. The coming of photography, the cinema and illustrated magazines ended the era of the panorama, which had been a means of informing the public about great events such as battles and about distant lands. Only some 20 panoramas throughout the world have survived to the present day.

This panorama, one of the last survivors from the 19th century, is famed for its three- dimensional effect and is an outstanding example of the work of the Hague School. The building also contains a collection of pictures belonging to Mesdag and his wife and a historical survey of 19th century panoramas.