One of the attractions of Paris during the International Exhibition of 1889 was the "Panorama of the Nineteenth Century", a panorama painting by two talented artists: Alfred Stevens and Henri Gervex.

This painting was 400 ft long and 20 ft high - the size of a football field. It contained the portraits of over a thousand of the most illustrious men and women in the last 100 years of French history, from the year of the revolution in 1789 to the centennial celebration in 1889. Many famous people posed for their portraits.

The research into the history and the fashion of the different times took 6 months. After that, the drawings and overall grand design were completed after two years. The individual drawings were then transferred to the panorama canvas and enlarged eight times. The transfer from small-scale drawing to life-size on canvas was achieved by first enlarging the drawings on transfer paper (cartoons). The outlines of the drawings were then all carefully punctured with a thick needle or pointed tool. Powder was rubbed over the holes and the drawing was accurately reproduced on the canvas, ready for painting.

The panorama painting was installed in a round building in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris. Unable to secure a permanent installation for the painting at the conclusion of the   exhibition, Stevens cut the painting into sections which were then distributed to shareholders.

The Ringling Museum has one segment, which is displayed here on the wall. This painting shows the identifiable portraits of 25 famous men and women with Sarah Bernhardt as the central figure. She is dressed in the costume of her role as the Queen in Victor Hugo's play Ruy Blas, and is surrounded by prominant dramatists, writers and musicians - for example Proust in Top Hat, Massenet with hat in hand and Bizet in eye glasses.

In later life Stevens turned to teaching and Sarah Bernhardt was one of his pupils. He also painted several portraits of her.

All black and white images on these pages are copies of engravings, made in 1889 after the displayed panorama.