The sublime yet awful grandeur
The Arctic panoramas of Elisha Kent Kane
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9220962 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Russell A Potter (Providence College), Douglas W Wamsley (AmeriCorps) |
| Year | 1999 |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue | 194 |
| Pages | 193-206 |
| Publication date | 1999-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Polar Record (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0032-2474 • E-ISSN: 1475-3057 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0032247400015485 |
| OpenAlex | W2095244733 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 4 |
In mid-nineteenth century America, the Arctic adventures of Elisha Kent Kane were a common and central subject for the emerging mass media. Kane's exploits were retold through illustrated newspapers, magazines, and books, but his narratives found one of their widest audiences through the medium of the ‘panorama.’ Initially presented in fixed locations, these panoramas later traveled across the country, combining large moving canvasses with a variety of visual and theatrical effects. Kane's two Arctic expeditions were among the most popular subjects represented by panoramas in the period before the American Civil War. This article examines the history of the panorama as it reflected and shaped public interest in the Arctic regions, including earlier polar expeditions, and gives a detailed account of the Kane panoramas. Other optical media that represented Kane's exploits are also considered. Because of its broad audience and widespread appeal, the panorama, along with other emergent visual technologies, played a vital yet overlooked part, both in disseminating Kane's accomplishments and in elevating Kane to prominence and fame in the mid-nineteenth century
Adventure · Appeal · Arctic · Art · Art history · Literature · Media studies · Narrative · Newspaper · Panorama · Political science · Sociology · Sublime · The arctic · Visual arts · Geology · History · History of Science and Natural History · Law · Literature, Film, and Journalism Analysis · Oceanography · Polar Research and Ecology
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,12 |
| Citation span | 2000 - 2022 (23) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |