Invented in 1788, the panorama reached the height of its popularity at the time of the 1900 Universal Exhibition. Vast circular canvases installed in purpose-built rotundas were designed to be viewed from centrally placed platforms & attracted an admiring public. The aim was to produce a perfect illusion. Thus the relationship between viewer & ”reality” underwent a profound mutation, opening up a new logic according to which the world was transformed into a spectacle & images substituted for direct experience. This illustrated text examines the wide variety of panoramas in both the Old & New Worlds. Included among views of cities are Robert Baker`s ” View of Edinburgh” & Karl Friedrich Schinkel`s ” View of Palermo”, as well as depictions of Paris, Moscow, Jerusalem & Lima. Among historical themes, ” The History of the Century” & ” Battle of Moscow” proved especially popular. The author expands his subject to encompass the sister formats of diorama & cineorama.