After the Civil War, Americans were sold ways of “experiencing” the war vicariously. Some of the more popular forms included stereoscope photographs which provided a 3D image of soldiers and the battlefield dead, cycloramas depicting battles, and living tableaux reenacting scenes of the war. In 1866 the game company Milton Bradley came out with the Myriopticon Game. Less a game than a 19th Century home theater, the Myriopticon was a box with a front that looked like the stage of a theater. Inside the box was a scroll depicting scenes from the war that could be set in motion by turning a crank. A family would gather around the box and watch the war unfold before its eyes. A script supplied by Milton Bradley was read in a theatrical voice as each scene scrolled past. Most of the scenes were based on engravings from Harper’s Weekly.
This video shows The Myriopticon: A Historical Panorama of the Rebellion in motion, but without the narration:
For those of us born before 1960, we remember a similar device made of plastic with a clear screen that would depict scenes from fairy tales by turning a crank and scrolling.
Here is a complete version of the Myriopticon from 1868 including the text that was meant to be read.
Our first scene represents Major Anderson and his band of about 80 men, as they appeared on the night of December 26, 1860, entering Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, after evacuating Fort Moultrie. This Fort Moultrie was rendered historical by the ineffectual attempt of the English to take it some time, but as I was not there I cannot go into any of the particulars. You will find it in the history of the United States. But this time the rebels were smarter than the English, and Major Anderson found he could not hold it longer, and was obliged to retire to Fort Sumter in the night. On the 19th of the next January, the steamer “Star of the West” arrived off Charleston with supplies for Anderson and his men, but were fired upon and driven back to sea by the rebel batteries on Morris Island and Fort Moultrie.
Our second scene represents the bombardment of Fort Sumter, as seen from Morris Island.
The bombardment of Fort Sumter, which was the actual commencement of the war, began on the 12th of April, 1861, continuing all day and during the night.
On the morning of the 13th, fire was reopened, and before noon the flag on Fort Sumter was shot down, and most of the wood-work was in flames.
On the 15th day of April, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln issued his proclamation calling for seventy-five thousand volunteers, and the people in every loyal State immediately and nobly responded to the call.
Old Snooks that had to pay a thousand dollars for substitute, says the President called a good many times afterwards, without such cheering results.
The audience need have no fears about the youngster in the foreground that appears to be killed, as he is playing possum. No one was hurt on either side.
Speaking of games, is “goak” (in the final stereoscope panel) in the Scrabble dictionary?
The Myriopticony I use your pics of the Myriopticon for an article I am writing on spec for Antiqueweek?
Thank you,
Dave
Can anyone tell me about variants? Some of the images of mine are the same as Yale’s copy but reversed and some don’t appear in their copies. They have images not present in mine. Have you seen variants of the Myriopticom? Do you know anything about later editions?
I also referenced your article and provided a link – thank you for this extensive info!
Sorry, I am not aware of variants.