A painting format popular in the 19th century, a cyclorama is a panoramic painting exhibited on a cylindrical platform. A viewer standing in the middle of the cylinder has a 360-degree view of the painting. The goal is to make the viewer feel as though she is standing in the midst of a famous place or an historical event. See also: diorama.

Paul Philippoteaux. Union Infantry and Artillery Advancing Toward The Angle (section of the Gettysburg Cyclorama). Oil on canvas. 1883. Visitor Center, Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Photo: Ron Cogswell.