December 1875: Hardy Gillard’s American Panorama, at the Queen’s Rooms

An article on page four of The Glasgow Herald, on Tuesday the 21st of December, 1875, reads:

 

“GILLARD’S AMERICAN PANORAMA.—Mr Hardy Gillard and his ‘great’ American panorama are well known in Glasgow, and

the merits of the entertainment opened at the Queen’s Rooms last evening have on a former occasion been recognised. When Mr

Gillard exhibited his beautiful panorama in Hengler’s Cirque large and delighted audiences were attracted, and, in view of the

approaching holidays, it is not too much to expect that the present will be as successful as the previous visit. The panorama is

illustrative of the Pacific Railway from New York to California, and contains about forty views of the principal points in the route.

The views are exceedingly well painted, and as the panorama is unrolled the beauty of most of the pictures calls forth marks of

approval from the spectators. The panorama is one of great interest, and is made instructive and entertaining by the lecture with

which Mr Gillard prefaces the exhibition, and by the explanations he subsequently gives regarding the several views. Mr Gillard is

an intelligent lecturer, but his style is too jerky and abrupt to be agreeable to a Scotch audience.”

 

 

George Fairfull-Smith, August 2023.