Excursion Views of Narragansett Bay and Block Island

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TITLE Excursion Views of Narragansett Bay and Block Island
CREATORClay, Cosack and Company
DATE 1878
DIMENSIONS 5 x 13.25 x 5.75 in.
ORIGINAL FORMAT Paper, wood and glass
MEDIUM Lithography and painted paper scrolls, wood
PHYSICAL NOTE Dual lithographic scrolls with hand cranks in wood case depict the east and west passage of Narragansett Bay and coast, c1878
LOCATION Providence Athenæum: Philbrick Rare Book Room
The Athenæum’s Excursion Views of Narragansett Bay and Block Island, created in Providence and printed in Buffalo, New York in 1878, captures coastal views of Narragansett Bay and views from Rhode Island’s Block Island.

The Providence Excursion View Company commissioned Clay & Company, a printing company in Buffalo, to print the panoramic lithographs. This panorama was then mounted onto rollers in a wooden box. By means of dual hand-cranks, this moving, mini-panorama served as a kind of precursor to modern motion pictures. It provides a view of a boat’s journey from Providence to Block Island. Since the box has two clear sides, the opposite side shows the view returning from Block Island to Providence. It is unknown who donated this piece to the library.
"Excursion Views of Narragansett Bay and Block Island." The Providence Athenæum, 2019, www.providenceathenaeum.org/collections/art-collection/decorative-arts-works-on-paper/. Accessed 26 June 2019.

Spina, Audrey. “Excursion Views of Narragansett Bay and Block Island.” 2016. ARTH 401: Cataloguing Curiosity, Wheaton College, student paper
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