It's massive, it's about the Civil War, and it's moving from the Grant Park neighborhood near downtown to the Atlanta History Center in Buckhead.
You can read the news of the move from the AJC's Howard Pousner in the links below. But if you wonder what exactly IS the Atlanta Cyclorama, pause here for a minute.
First, what is it? The AJC's Actual Factual Georgia column described it this way: "The painting is huge, measuring 42 feet tall with a circumference of 358 feet, and depicts a part of the Battle of Atlanta, which took place throughout the neighborhoods now known as East Atlanta, Kirkwood, Inman Park and Reynoldstown, among others, on July 22, 1864. It was painted in the 1880s, and like a rock star, went on a tour of large cities. It came to Atlanta in 1892 and was moved to Grant Park the next year, where it’s stayed, moving to its current building in 1921."
But it's not just a painting. It's also a diarama, providing a circular view of some key scenes in the Battle of Atlanta.
There is even a character who looks strikingly like the character of Rhett Butler, portrayed by Clark Gable in the epic movie, "Gone With the Wind."
The AJC's Bo Emerson notes the Cyclorama as an attraction has been seen in many ways over the years.
"It was painted in 1886 by German immigrants in Milwaukee and commissioned by a Union officer with political aspirations. He wanted to document his role in the decisive victory and ride that glory to a vice presidency," Emerson wrote.
"Though it was intended to appeal to a Northern audience, when the painting made its way to Atlanta it was embraced as an emblem of the “Lost Cause” sensibility. Like the memorial on Stone Mountain, it became part of the city’s Confederate iconography. (In the diorama that forms the painting’s foreground is a soldier styled to resemble Clark Gable.) That attitude began to change by 1979 when the painting underwent a $15 million renovation, spearheaded by Mayor Maynard Jackson."
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News from July 23, 2014: Howard Pousner's story, Atlanta Cyclorama moving to Buckhead
Actual Factual Georgia: Tell me more about Atlanta's Cyclorama
Bo Emerson feature Feb. 17, 2014 (and why he decribes the painting as "something of a Rorschach test." Atlanta Cyclorama broadens programs to seek wider audience.
Gone With The Wind landmarks in and near Atlanta. (Hint, there is no Tara here, but we can get you close.)
And to learn more about the Battle of Atlanta, here are two sources: AJC.com's Battle of Atlanta guide, and a great interactive that you will want to share, from the AJC, 1864: When War Came to Atlanta. (Be sure to follow the link to full version.)
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