Diorama de la Belle au Bois Dormant
Paper Peepshow
ca. 1865 (published)
ca. 1865 (published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This paper peepshow representing the story of the Sleeping Beauty belongs to a series published by Imagerie Haguenthal during the 1860s. Elie Haguenthal established his publishing house in 1848 in Pont-à-Mousson, a small town in Moselle, North East France, which was famous for the production of popular prints in one of its districts. Haguenthal published thirteen paper peepshows in total in the Collection Panoramique series, and named the individual paper peepshow ‘panorama’ or ‘diorama’ despite the obvious difference between the devices.
The paper peepshows in the series Collection Panoramique come in one of two standard formats, upright or horizontal, and both formats share an almost identical image as the front-face. Eight of Haguenthal’s products were also issued as construction sheets to be assembled at home.
Fairy tales do not constitute a common subject matter for paper peepshows. The story of Sleeping Beauty, however, had already featured in optical entertainment before. When a ballet-pantomime, La Belle au Bois Dormant was performed at the Paris Opera in 1829, a moving panorama was included in the programme. It might be that it provided inspiration for the publisher of this paper peepshow to explore the story’s potential for ocular recreation.
The paper peepshows in the series Collection Panoramique come in one of two standard formats, upright or horizontal, and both formats share an almost identical image as the front-face. Eight of Haguenthal’s products were also issued as construction sheets to be assembled at home.
Fairy tales do not constitute a common subject matter for paper peepshows. The story of Sleeping Beauty, however, had already featured in optical entertainment before. When a ballet-pantomime, La Belle au Bois Dormant was performed at the Paris Opera in 1829, a moving panorama was included in the programme. It might be that it provided inspiration for the publisher of this paper peepshow to explore the story’s potential for ocular recreation.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Diorama de la Belle au Bois Dormant (published title) |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Diorama de la Belle au Bois Dormant, Haguenthal, Elie, ca.1865 |
| Physical description | Accordion-style paper peepshow of Sleeping Beauty. 4 cut-out panels. 1 peep-hole. Hand-coloured lithograph. Expands to approximately 50 cm. Front-face: two girls leaning on a gold ornamental cartouche while lifting a blank one. Younger children reading and interacting with each other. The peep-hole consists of a large circle set in the gold cartouche. Panel 1: men trying to advance in the woods. Panel 2-3: people sleeping outside the castle. Panel 4: people sleeping in the dining room inside the castle. Back panel: the prince approaching Sleeping Beauty who lies in bed in her room. On the reverse side features the imprint of the publisher, the title, and the complete list of 13 paper peepshows by the same publisher. This copy lacks the accompanying text indicated in the list by the publisher. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme by HM Government from the collections of Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2016. |
| Object history | Part of the Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner Collection, collected over 30 years and given to the V&A Museum through the government's Cultural Gift Scheme, 2016. |
| Summary | This paper peepshow representing the story of the Sleeping Beauty belongs to a series published by Imagerie Haguenthal during the 1860s. Elie Haguenthal established his publishing house in 1848 in Pont-à-Mousson, a small town in Moselle, North East France, which was famous for the production of popular prints in one of its districts. Haguenthal published thirteen paper peepshows in total in the Collection Panoramique series, and named the individual paper peepshow ‘panorama’ or ‘diorama’ despite the obvious difference between the devices. The paper peepshows in the series Collection Panoramique come in one of two standard formats, upright or horizontal, and both formats share an almost identical image as the front-face. Eight of Haguenthal’s products were also issued as construction sheets to be assembled at home. Fairy tales do not constitute a common subject matter for paper peepshows. The story of Sleeping Beauty, however, had already featured in optical entertainment before. When a ballet-pantomime, La Belle au Bois Dormant was performed at the Paris Opera in 1829, a moving panorama was included in the programme. It might be that it provided inspiration for the publisher of this paper peepshow to explore the story’s potential for ocular recreation. |
| Bibliographic reference | R. Hyde, Paper Peepshows. The Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner Collection (Woodbridge: The Antique Collectors' Club, 2015), cat. 58. |
| Other number | 38041016058992 - NAL barcode |
| Collection | |
| Library number | Gestetner 58 |
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| Record created | August 29, 2018 |
| Record URL |
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