Marketing ‘Garibaldi panoramas’ in Britain (1860–1864)

Abstract

This paper maps the UK itineraries of Garibaldi panoramas from the liberation of the South, in 1860, to Garibaldi's visit to London, in 1864. Garibaldi panoramas’ initial fortunes stemmed from the marketing impresarios’ ability to harness the potential of a form of spectacle that drew its content subject from the accounts of the extraordinary events unrolling in Italy, reported in the press. The paper shows that, while the popularity of the genre reached its peak in early 1861, this rapidly waned, despite the marketing efforts sustained by travelling panorama impresarios. In linking the decline of this entertainment genre with the spread of the negative press surrounding the newly established Italian parliament, this study contends that the decrease in popularity of the Garibaldi panoramas amongst British audiences found root in the growing, prosaic press accounts on Italy which came to undermine the newsworthiness of these spectacles.