Originating in Britain in the 1780s, panorama paintings were an extremely popular phenomenon in the 19th century.

From the Napoleonic Wars to late Victorian colonial campaigns, battles were a popular subject, bringing together art, patriotism and mass entertainment in ways that reinforced Britain’s expanding global presence and projected military values to the public.

In this illuminating talk, Professor Ian Beckett will discuss the different kinds of panorama painting, the audiences they were aimed at and their impact from 1800 to 1914.

Professor Ian Beckett retired as Professor of Military History at the University of Kent in 2015. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he has held chairs in both the UK and US.

He is internationally known for his work on the history of the British Army in the 19th and 20th centuries and on the First World War. He was chairman of the UK Army Records Society from 2000 to 2014 and is Secretary of the Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust.

British Military Panoramas