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Drag the cards below into the frame above to create your own landscape
Myriorama, or ‘Many Thousand Views’ consist of numerous cards depicting fragments or segments of landscapes that can be arranged in a multitude of different combinations. This ‘entertainment’ for young ladies and gentlemen originated in France. The first English version in 1824 was a set of 16 cards which depicted Gothic ruins, castles, cottages, a lighthouse, a man fishing and a gypsy encampment. These landmarks had a backdrop of mountains with islands and a lake to add extra texture and depth.
Whenever the cards were taken out and arranged upon a table, they produced a landscape of harmony which was variable, compatible and satisfying to the user without being geographically identifiable. This first myriorama seems to have been an instant success and many varieties were created to satisfy the demands of the public.
The newly commissioned contemporary myriorama by Tom Gauld has many references to Laurence Sterne’s writings and contains incidents and characters that may be familiar to the reader. He has ordered his drawings to allow an almost limitless variety of Sternean encounters to take place. For more information about the commission visit manythousandviews.tumblr.com
To purchase a copy of Endless Journey by Tom Gauld – twelve picture cards which can be arranged to form 479,001,600 different landscapes – visit the online shop.
What a large volume of adventures may be grasped within this little span of life, by him who interests his heart in everything, and who, having eyes to see what time and chance are perpetually holding out to him as he journeyeth on his way, misses nothing he can fairly lay his hands on.
from ‘A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy’ by Laurence Sterne
