1848 panorama of Cincy to go on display

Associated Press

CINCINNATI

The Cincinnati library system plans to unveil on Saturday a series of groundbreaking 1848 photos that create a two-mile panoramic view of the Cincinnati riverfront.

The Cincinnati Riverfront Panorama was captured by Charles Fontayne and William S. Porter as they stood on a Newport, Ky., rooftop and looked across the Ohio River, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The photos go on permanent display at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County main branch beginning with the unveiling ceremony.

“It’s a one-of-a-kind object,” said Ralph Wiegandt, conservator for the George Eastman House of International Museum of Photography and Film in Rochester, N.Y. “It boggles the mind. We’re still reveling in its magnificence.”

The library acquired the photos — the size of large postcards — in the early 20th century and they have been in storage since 1955 for protection.

The Eastman House examined, cleaned and stabilized the photos in 2006 and 2007.

The Enquirer reports that photography was in its infancy in 1848 and the panorama showed that photos could not only capture images of people but also of landscapes. It’s considered the oldest surviving photo of its kind of an American city. The eight images are daguerreotypes made in a camera on a silver plate.

The exhibit will include interactive screens where viewers can zoom in on details from the photos.