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Cemetery Ridge Paul Philippoteaux was born in Paris, the son of the French artist
Henri Félix Emmanuel Philippoteaux. His education was at the
Collège Henri-IV, the
École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and in the studio of his father, as well as the studios of Leon Cogniet, and Alexander Cabanal. He became interested in
cycloramas and in collaboration with his father created ''The Defence of the Fort d'Issy
in 1871. Other works included Taking of Plevna
(Turko-Russian War), the Passage of the Balkans
, The Belgian Revolution of 1830
, Attack in the Park
, The Battle of Kars
, The Battle of Tel-el-Kebir
, and the Derniere Sortie''. Philippoteaux was commissioned by a group of
Chicago investors in 1879 to create the Gettysburg Cyclorama. He spent several weeks in April 1882 at the site of the
Gettysburg Battlefield to sketch and photograph the scene, and he extensively researched the battle and its events over several months. Local photographer
William H. Tipton created a series of panoramic photographs shot from a wooden tower erected along present-day Hancock Avenue. The photos, pasted together, formed the basis of the composition. Philippoteaux also interviewed several survivors of the battle, including Union generals
Winfield S. Hancock,
Abner Doubleday,
Oliver O. Howard, and
Alexander S. Webb, and based his work partly on their recollections. The finished painting was nearly 100 yards long and weighed six tons. When completed for display, the full work included not just the painting, but numerous artifacts and sculptures, including stone walls, trees, and fences. His
Cyclorama of Jerusalem was completed in 1895. Other paintings included ''Retour d'un pardon
(1864), Vannenses
(1865), Marche en Bretagne
(1865), and Scene d'invasion'' (1866), which were all exhibited at the
Paris salon. Philippoteaux made drawings that were engraved by Charles Laplante (
fr) to illustrate the 1877 first edition of
Jules Verne's novel
Hector Servadac (or
Off on a Comet). ==References==