CURATORS INTRODUCTION

Muybridge Panoramas

Muybridge’s San Francisco Panorama on display

This exhibition presents a magnificent 360-degree panorama of San Francisco that Kingston-born photographer Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904) created in 1878. The over-five-metre-long panorama is one of the highlights of Kingston Museum’s Muybridge Collection.

Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904)

Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904)

Muybridge is best known for his pioneering work in instantaneous photography and moving image projection. He was also a celebrated landscape photographer, taking splendid pictures of the American West, Central America and many other places. In 1904, Muybridge bequeathed an extensive collection of his photographs, equipment and personal belongings to Kingston Museum, including the 1878 San Francisco Panorama.

 

This year marks the 120th anniversary of Muybridge’s death. We celebrate his remarkable legacy with this exhibition. Alongside Muybridge’s San Francisco Panorama, the exhibition features three modern panoramas of the city by American photographer Mark Klett, British artists Tom Pope and James Doyle, and American historian Nick Wright.

panoramas

San Francisco Panoramas, 1990, 2008 and 2024

Kingston Panoramas

Kingston Panoramas

The exhibition also displays different scenes of Kingston taken in the 1870s and 1880s. Kingston’s present is captured in artworks created by a group of Kingston University students. Another exhibition highlight is a collection of panoramic optical toys that are on loan from the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum. Come and enjoy San Francisco in Kingston!