A Spectacle in Motion
The Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World
on view March 18, 2025 - March 1, 2026
Benjamin Russell (1804-1885) and Caleb Purrington (1812-1886). Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World. Distemper on sheeting (detail), 1848. New Bedford Whaling Museum. Gift of Benjamin Cummings. 1918.27.1
In 1848, New Bedford artists Benjamin Russell and Caleb Purrington announced to the world they had completed their Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World. Russell was an emerging artist and bankrupt whaling investor who had just spent 42 months (1841-1844) on a whaling voyage to the Indian Ocean and North Pacific aboard the ship Kutusoff. When he returned, Purrington joined him in creating this massive painting as a commercial enterprise for public entertainment. Performed as a moving panorama, this 1,275-foot long and 8-foot high painting was separated onto four alternating spools, which were mounted in a theater or public hall for a paid performance. It toured the East, transported by train, ship, and wagon to Boston, New York and as far West as St. Louis.
In an era before the age of cinema, the Panorama is a rare extant example of commercial enterprise, designed to exploit the panorama craze of the 19th century with tales of the high seas. This era’s popular entertainment was dominated by illusion and spectacle, the exotic and the unknown. This was the age of the traveling circus, public theater, pantomimes, the height of popularity of the curiosities sideshow, and the birth of grand World’s Fairs.
The Panorama, which is owned and preserved by the New Bedford Whaling Museum, depicts in fascinating detail the voyage of a typical mid-19th century New Bedford whaleship on its journey ‘round the world’ in pursuit of whales. Along the way, it depicts scenes (some from Russell’s experience, some historic, and some imagined) in such far-flung places as the Azores, Cape Verde, Brazil, Tahiti, and Hawaii. People, places, vessels, wildlife, and events spring to life as they were seen from a 19th-century perspective.
Forty feet of this immense work will be shown at a time in the exhibition at MMAM. The panorama will be advanced approximately every 10 to 12 days, giving viewers new views of this epic story throughout the run of the exhibition. Please check the schedule below to find a time to view the advancement of the panorama. Check back as more dates will be added.
Upcoming Programming
Previous Programming
Support Comes From
This exhibition project was organized in partnership with the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and is presented by the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, a nonprofit mission-driven art museum located on the shores of the Upper Mississippi River.
MMAM acknowledges sustaining support from generous contributions from foundations, corporations, individuals, members and volunteers, including ongoing support from our Board of Directors, the Mardag Foundation, the Elizabeth Callender King Foundation, the Morgan Family Foundation, and donors like Dr. Janelle Cooper and Kathleen Hanson. Special thanks to our lead sponsor, Hiawatha Broadband Communications, Inc., our media partner, Minnesota Monthly, and the Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support.
Lead Sponsor
Media Partner
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.