Description of the View of the City and Lake of Geneva

An etching of a large panorama of Geneva, Switzerland on display in London.

The View of the City of Geneva was an enormous painting by Robert Burford that was on display for public viewing in London in the early 19th century. Not everyone could travel to London to see the work (let alone to Geneva), so a reduced version was printed in New York (and elsewhere) as a souvenir.

The view is broken into two parts; with nearly sixty points of interest listed in French below each half. Accompanying the view is a fifteen page booklet which describes each of the 59 entries in further detail, in English. The title page is embellished with a wood engraving of the rotunda where Burford’s panoramic painting was exhibited.

The panorama was a popular form of entertainment in the 19th century, usually displaying views or battle scenes painted on canvas; sometimes extending as long as 300 feet in length! Admission was charged to view the panoramas, and the most successful would go on tour. Burford was one such success, and he exhibited in London, New York, and other major cities.