On view February 10 through March 31, 2023

Panoramic photography, though almost as old as photography itself, reached its zenith in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Before the era of the mass appeal of film and the advent of television, very few people were able to indulge in educational trips and tourism. Panoramic photographs, stereoviews, and other photographic media offered a view of the world never seen by most and were often the only way for people to see foreign countries, people, cities, landscapes, and events.

Commercial developments by photographic companies such as Kodak made panoramic photography possible for professional and amateur photographers, spurring on the panoramic craze of the early 20th century. Special cameras were developed specifically to shoot panoramic images using a variety of techniques. Panoramas were produced by stitching together a series of sequential images; by shooting the image with a special camera such as the #4 Kodak Panoram at 180 degrees; or by using a Cirkut camera made by the Rochester Panoramic Camera Company, which produced images by rotating the camera 360 degrees. What began as a cumbersome process for professionals eventually developed into a ubiquitous mode available on most people’s smartphones!

This unique exhibit—In the Wide View—is an assemblage of images recently donated to the Rivers of Steel Archives as part of the David Ludwig Collection. Mr. Ludwig was an artist and educator as well as an avid collector of industrial and railroad panoramic photographs and ephemera. His deep love of the industrial legacy of the region was infectious and is reflected in his collection. Rivers of Steel is thrilled to honor his legacy and share his passion with the public.