Passage des Panoramas
The Variety Theater on the left and on the right the two rotundas of the panorama built by James W. Thayer with the entrance to the passage in 1829.
The Passage des Panoramas connects 1-13, boulevard Montmartre to 151, rue Montmartre - 75002 Paris.
It was inaugurated in 1799. The passage was created by architect François Jean Delannoy and combines neoclassical aesthetics with modern elements of the period.
The Passage des Panoramas was built to connect two famous rotundas housing panoramic paintings.
This is where the passage takes its name from.
The first American involved in this project was shipowner William Thayer, who purchased the Montmorency hotel.
The second American, Robert Fulton, was a painter of miniatures based in England.
He discovered the first panoramas and imported this novelty to France in 1799.
Fulton sold the import patent to his compatriot Thayer, who immediately built two imposing rotundas at the end of his hotel garden. Each of the two rotundas had a diameter of 17 meters and 7 meters in height.
Inside, they housed trompe-l’oeil landscapes, which spectators could admire from the center of the room.
Originally, these rotundas housed panoramas, paintings depicting landscapes of Paris, Rome, Jerusalem and other famous major cities.
These landscapes were renewed over time and attracted many visitors.
Unfortunately, after a few years, the craze for panoramas passed and the two rotundas were gradually deserted.
They were finally dismantled in 1831.
The Passage des Panoramas is 133 meters long and 3.2 meters wide.
It is open every day from 6 a.m. to midnight.