1806.] Account of the late Mr. Barker.—To Correfpondents. 
refides at Kinderton, near Middlewich, for- 
merly the refidence of one of the feven 
Chefhire Barons, viz. Vernon, Baron of Kin- 
derton. 
[ Further particulars of Mr. Barker, whofe * 
death was announced in our laft Number.— 
When we meet with a man from whofe ta- 
lents and ingenuity the world has derived a 
fource of mental improvement, we feel it a 
duty we owe to his memory, and the grati- 
fication of our readers to give fome idea of 
the origin of his inventions; with that view, 
the following iketch of the lite of Robert 
Barker, Efgq. inventor of the Panorama, has 
been fubmitted to the public. He was ana- 
tive of lreland, born in Kells, in the county 
of Meath, and begam bufinets in Dublin, but 
being unfuccefsful became  embarraffed, 
which led to the profeilion he afterwards 
adopted of miniature and portrait painting. 
When he began painting is not exactly 
known ; but he followed the profeffion with 
wonderful Cacceis, when we confider that he 
had no advantages from early tuition in the 
Arts. Leaving Ireland he went to Scotland, 
and fettled in Edinburgh, where he followed 
the line of a portrait painter. It is impoffi- 
ble to view the romantic fituation of the ve- 
nerable capital of Scotland without feeling 
the mo fublime impreflions. It was con- 
templating this varied fcene of beauty and 
grandeur, on the Calton Hill, which firft led 
Mr. Barker to think of painting on an entire 
circle. When he Jooked around and faw no 
end to the intereft.of the fcene; When he 
confidered that the local beauties were 
heightened by a combination of the whole; 
he regretted the confined rules of the art, 
and determined to try, at leaft, if they could 
not be extended. Not being regularly bred, 
an artift was, in this inftance perhaps, of ad- 
vantage to him; as he was unfettered by 
thofe rules which had been fo long eftab- 
lifhed.  Poffeffing a clear mind, and quick 
underftanding, he had acquired a perfect 
knowledge of the laws of perfpective, and. 
was enabled, by that means, to furmount the 
many difficulties which fo new and bold an 
undertaking prefented to him, It was about 
the year 1787, that he determined to ex- 
ecute a fmall half cirele to prove the pofli- 
bility of the undertaking ; for which purpofe 
a View of Edinburgh was painted, by him, 
in water colours, and taken up to London. 
467 
Sir Jofhua Reynolds was the firft perfon he 
communicated his idea to, who could not 
fee the poflibility of deviating from the eftab- 
lithed angle, without violating the laws of 
perfpective, and, therefore, treated it as an 
extraordinary idea, but chimerical, and ime 
practicable. Notwithftanding, Mr. Barker 
confidered it a great improvement to the 
formerly confined art of painting, and took 
out a patent for the invention under the ti- 
tle of La Nature a Coup d’ceil. The firftt ens 
tire circle was a View of Edinburgh painted 
in water colours, and exhibited, by lamp- 
light, in Edinburgh, Glafgow, and Londen. 
From the fmallnets of the circle, it was 
not fufficiently ftriking to attract what is 
called the Public, though it met with the ge- 
neral approbation of thofe who faw it. 
A View of London, taken from the Albion- 
Mills, was the next fubject of public exhibi- 
tion. From its fize, and the dithculty of 
procuring ground in a central fituation, Mr. 
Barker was obliged to put up’an half circle, 
which contained but half the View. This 
Picture attracted much public attention ; 
and Sir Jofhua Reynolds, who had before 
thought the idea ridiculous, now felt his er- 
ror. When he faw the deception produced, 
he: was aftonifhed, and paid Mr. Barker the 
higheft compiiments as inventor of, what he 
confidered, the greateft. improvement in the 
defcriptive art.* A piece of ground become 
ing vacant in Leicefter-{quare, Mr. Barker 
took it, and erected the prefent rotunda, the 
diameter of which is 90 feet. The firft pic- 
ture he exhibited upon this great feale was a 
View of the Ruffian Armament at Spithead, 
His Majefty, with the Queen and Princefles 
honoured the firft opening with’ their pre- 
fence, and it became the object of general 
curiofity and attraction. Thus was com- 
pleted one of the moft extraordinary efforts 
of the human inmd; an effort which gives 
unlimitea fpace to the art of painting, and 
leads the aftonifhed obferver te fancy hime 
felf upon the {pot reprefented.]} 
* At this time it was fuggefted that the 
idea fhould have a comprehenfive and deci- 
ded name; when acompound word, from 
the Greek, Mey and Qea%, (feeing all) 
was adopted; and the invention was called 
the Panorama. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
S. R. is requefted to furnith the Volume and Page of his highly curious Extras from 
Suhm.—The Editor of the Bofton Anthology will perceive how much we efteem his La- 
bours.—Nothing could be more agreeable to us than the propofed Letters from a Britith 
Officer ferving with the Army in Sicily. 
We have been promifed others from a much valued 
Correfpondeat, now at the Cape of Good Hope, and wethink it proper to obferve generally, 
that Communications from intelligent Officers ferving with our Naval and Military Forces 
abroad, are always acceptable, aud are efpecially difcharged from the ufual Refponfibility 
ot Poftage. : 
302 
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