WARREN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
  • Plan A Visit
    • Harmon Museum >
      • Special Exhibits
      • Research Library
      • The Village Green
      • The Museum Shop >
        • Finnegan Book
      • Group Tours
      • History of Harmon Museum
    • Glendower Mansion >
      • Tours
      • History of Glendower Mansion
    • 1795 Beedle Log Cabin >
      • Relocation & Restoration
      • History Walk
      • Plant Adoption
      • History of the Beedle Log Cabin
    • WCHS Collection >
      • Art
      • Historical Artifacts
      • Textiles
      • Documents
  • Events
    • ⭐ Events Calendar ⭐
    • Art Contest: Golden Lamb 220 Years
    • Art Exhibitions
    • Class - Architecture History
    • Flea Market - Attic Treasures
    • Lebanon Garden Tour
    • Lunch & Learn >
      • Lunch & Learn Video Archive
    • Music at the Museum
    • Shakespeare High Tea >
      • Previous High Teas
    • Special Events
    • Special Exhibits
  • Get Involved
    • Membership
    • Donate >
      • "Celebrate Our Future" Capital Campaign
      • History Walk >
        • History Walk Pavers
        • Plant Adoption
    • Volunteer
  • Facility Rental
    • Armstrong Conference Center
    • Lawn at Glendower Mansion
  • Education
    • Museum Explorers Club
    • Lena Iorns Award
    • Schools Tours
  • Blog
  • About
    • About Us
    • History of Our Properties
    • WCHS Collection
    • William Elmer Harmon
    • Partner Organizations
    • Board and Staff
    • Research Library
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • "Celebrate Our Future" Capital Campaign

We've got History on our minds...

Marcus Mote’s Panoramas - written by Kaitlyn Barnes

6/26/2021

0 Comments

 
            ​Marcus Mote, born on June 19, 1817 in Miami County, Ohio, was a self-taught artist who pursued a career in painting from his studio in Lebanon. He was very talented and was able to achieve great success throughout his lifetime. However, today he is not only known for his artistic ability, but also for his Quaker heritage. Even though Quakers were critical of art, Mote was able to harmonize his conservative culture with the progressive ideas of the 19th century in his creation of four panoramas during the 1850’s.
            A panorama is a piece of artwork that is considered to be an ancestor of a modern day film. It consisted of a series of painted scenes, each about nine feet high and fifteen to sixteen feet wide, which together would create a story. The scenes would slowly rotate around a hidden mechanism, and as the scenes passed, the story was told by a narrator, called a professor.
            Marcus Mote’s first panorama debuted on May 9, 1853 in Lebanon Court House to a large audience. It was a recreation of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Thus, it portrayed the story of Uncle Tom, a slave, and the harsh reality of his life. Mote’s panorama was successful in staying true to the novel’s plot; however, his artistic talent truly exemplified the deep emotions felt by the characters. The panorama’s first public appearance was overshadowed by another panorama exhibit in the area, but it nevertheless received glowing critical reviews.
            Mote’s second panorama was based off of Milton’s poems Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. These two poems are descriptions of the biblical story of the Garden of Eden. It premiered on October 14, 1853, about six months after the debut of his first panorama. It also received sterling reviews, especially for Mote’s portrayal of the lush Garden of Eden.
            The third panorama, titled the Geological History of the Course of Creation, was Mote’s largest. It was comprised of a total of forty scenes, which were painted on a total of six thousand square feet of canvas. It was inspired by the eternal beauty of Niagara Falls, and required him to do considerable research into geology and paleontology. This research allowed him to create what he believed to be a comprehensive history of the earth and the creation of mankind. Mote was commended for his ability to harmonize the biblical representation of creation and the version maintained by geologists. Its presentation included music directed by a man known as Professor Schuler, and the panorama was very well received by a large audience.
            Mote’s fourth and final panorama was a series of scenes promoting the virtues of temperance. For its debut, Mote hired Luximon Roy, an eccentric East Indian prince, to narrate the panorama as well as to share aspects of his culture. The enthusiastic audience considered by the painting as well as the lecture to be brilliant. This panorama was also at a later time narrated by the famous temperature lecturer M.M. Edwards of Cincinnati.
            The creation of these four panoramas was a major stepping stone for Mote’s career. The popularity that he attained by creating panoramas stayed with him as he moved on to portraiture and landscapes. Unfortunately, none of these four panoramas exist today. However, from the numerous glowing reviews and descriptions that do exist today, it is evident that he was very talented as well as beloved by the people of Lebanon.

​Written by Kaitlyn Barnes

0 Comments

American History: Juneteenth

6/19/2021

0 Comments

 
On this Day in History. U.S. General Gordon Granger came to Texas, two months after the South's surrendered (four years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation), and read General Orders No. 3: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”

Below, an 1845 illustration of freed slaves carrying the Emancipation Proclamation.
Picture
0 Comments

    Author

    Nathaniel Grauwelman as well as various staff and volunteer writers.

    Categories

    All
    American History
    Art
    Bingo
    Call To Action
    Civil Rights
    Collection
    Events
    Exhibits
    Glendower Historic Mansion
    Harmon Museum
    Help
    Holiday
    International History
    In The News
    Inventions
    Local History
    Lunch & Learn Topics
    Meet The Artist
    Meet The Speaker
    Military History
    Natural History
    Oral History
    Textile

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    October 2017

    RSS Feed

Picture
Office Phone: 513 932-1817

Wchs Office/Harmon Museum

​Tues - Sat: 10am - 4pm
Year Round

Glendower mansion

Fri & Sat: 12pm - 4pm
​Memorial Day - Labor Day
Contact
Membership
Volunteer
Donate
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

harmon civic trust

  • Plan A Visit
    • Harmon Museum >
      • Special Exhibits
      • Research Library
      • The Village Green
      • The Museum Shop >
        • Finnegan Book
      • Group Tours
      • History of Harmon Museum
    • Glendower Mansion >
      • Tours
      • History of Glendower Mansion
    • 1795 Beedle Log Cabin >
      • Relocation & Restoration
      • History Walk
      • Plant Adoption
      • History of the Beedle Log Cabin
    • WCHS Collection >
      • Art
      • Historical Artifacts
      • Textiles
      • Documents
  • Events
    • ⭐ Events Calendar ⭐
    • Art Contest: Golden Lamb 220 Years
    • Art Exhibitions
    • Class - Architecture History
    • Flea Market - Attic Treasures
    • Lebanon Garden Tour
    • Lunch & Learn >
      • Lunch & Learn Video Archive
    • Music at the Museum
    • Shakespeare High Tea >
      • Previous High Teas
    • Special Events
    • Special Exhibits
  • Get Involved
    • Membership
    • Donate >
      • "Celebrate Our Future" Capital Campaign
      • History Walk >
        • History Walk Pavers
        • Plant Adoption
    • Volunteer
  • Facility Rental
    • Armstrong Conference Center
    • Lawn at Glendower Mansion
  • Education
    • Museum Explorers Club
    • Lena Iorns Award
    • Schools Tours
  • Blog
  • About
    • About Us
    • History of Our Properties
    • WCHS Collection
    • William Elmer Harmon
    • Partner Organizations
    • Board and Staff
    • Research Library
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • "Celebrate Our Future" Capital Campaign