Rare Antique 19th Century Victorian Advertisement For The Great Panopticum Museum Of Curiosities & The Macabre
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A Fantastic Antique 19th Century Victorian Advertisement For The Great Panopticum Museum, Which Was Located At 35 Leicester Square, London.
Likely mid to late 1800s. This kind of wax museum and “Chamber of Horrors” display became very popular in the Victorian era, paralleling the fame of Madame Tussaud’s.
A Panopticum was a type of exhibition that originated in Paris and Germany, showcasing wax figures, automata, and curiosities. The word comes from Greek roots meaning “to see everything.”
The exhibition itself appears to have been a mix of educational (ethnology, historical figures, mechanics) and sensational (torture devices, criminals).
This would have appealed to Victorian audiences’ fascination with science, mechanics, exoticism, and the macabre, very much in line with contemporary “edutainment.”
Condition is good, commensurate with age. Some browning and creasing. Small tear to bottom right corner and a couple of small holes to the bottom left corner. Attached to a piece of card for preservation.
Measures 23.5cm x 17cm