Tarpe Mills, 1940s Comic Writer, And Her Feisty Superhero Miss Fury

Miss Fury had cat claws, stiletto heels and a killer make-up compact. (Author provided)

In April 1941, just a few short years after Superman came swooping out of the Manhattan skies, Miss Fury – originally known as Black Fury – became the first major female superhero to go to print. She beat Charles Moulton Marsden’s Wonder Woman to the page by more than six months. More significantly, Miss Fury was the first female superhero to be written and drawn by a woman, Tarpé Mills.

Miss Fury’s creator – whose real name was June – shared much of the gritty ingenuity of her superheroine. Like other female artists of the Golden Age, Mills was obliged to make her name in comics by disguising her gender. As she later told the New York Post, “It would have been a major let-down to the kids if they found out that the author of such virile and awesome characters was a gal.”

Miss Fury (Author provided)

Yet, this trailblazing illustrator, squeezed out of the comic world amid a post-WW2 backlash against unconventional images of femininity and a 1950s climate of heightened censorship, has been largely excluded from the pantheon of comic greats – until now.

Comics then and now tend to feature weak-kneed female characters who seem to exist for the sole purpose of being saved by a male hero – or, worse still, are “fridged”, a contemporary comic book colloquialism that refers to the gruesome slaying of an undeveloped female character to deepen the hero’s motivation and propel him on his journey.

But Mills believed there was room in comics for a different kind of female character, one who was able, level-headed and capable, mingling tough-minded complexity with Mills’ own taste for risqué behaviour and haute couture gowns.

Tarpe Mills was obliged to make her name in comics during the 1940s by disguising her gender. (Author provided)

Where Wonder Woman’s powers are “marvellous” – that is, not real or attainable – Miss Fury and her alter ego Marla Drake use their collective brains, resourcefulness and the odd stiletto heel in the face to bring the villains to justice.

A WW2 plane featuring an image of Miss Fury. (Image via tarpemills.com)

And for a time they were wildly successful.

Miss Fury ran a full decade from April 1941 to December 1951, was syndicated in 100 different newspapers at the height of her wartime fame, and sold a million copies an issue in reprints released by Timely (now Marvel) comics.

Pilots flew bomber planes with Miss Fury painted on the fuselage. Young girls played with paper doll cut outs featuring her extensive high fashion wardrobe.

An anarchic, ‘gender flipped’ universe

Miss Fury’s “origin story” offers its own coolly ironic commentary on the masculine conventions of the comic genre.

Miss Fury (Author provided)

One night a girl called Marla Drake finds out that her friend Carol is wearing an identical gown to a masquerade party. So, at the behest of her maid Francine, she dons a skin tight black cat suit that – in an imperial twist, typical of the period – was once worn as a ceremonial robe by a witch doctor in Africa.

On the way to the ball, Marla takes on a gun-toting killer, using her cat claws, stiletto heels, and – hilariously – a puff of powder blown from her makeup compact to disarm the villain. She leaves him trussed up with a hapless and unconscious police detective by the side of the road.

Tarpe Mills with her beloved Persian cat. (Author provided)

Miss Fury could fly a fighter plane when she had to, jumping out in a parachute dressed in a red satin ball gown and matching shoes. She was also a crack shot.

This was an anarchic, gender flipped, comic book universe in which the protagonist and principle antagonists were women, and in which the supposed tools of patriarchy – high heels, makeup and mermaid bottom ball gowns – were turned against the system. Arch nemesis Erica Von Kampf – a sultry vamp who hides a swastika-branded forehead behind a v-shaped blond fringe – also displayed amazing enterprise in her criminal antics.

Miss Fury (Author provided)

Invariably the male characters required saving from the crime gangs, the Nazis or merely from themselves. Among the most ingenious panels in the strip were the ones devoted to hapless lovelorn men, endowed with the kind of “thought bubbles” commonly found hovering above the heads of angsty heroines in romance comics.

By contrast, the female characters possessed a gritty ingenuity inspired by Noir as much as by the changed reality of women’s wartime lives. Half way through the series, Marla got a job, and – astonishingly, for a Sunday comic supplement – became a single mother, adopting the son of her arch nemesis, wrestling with snarling dogs and chains to save the toddler from a deadly experiment.

Mills claims to have modelled Miss Fury on herself. She even named Marla’s cat Peri-Purr after her own beloved Persian pet. Born in Brooklyn in 1918, Mills grew up in a house headed by a single widowed mother, who supported the family by working in a beauty parlour. Mills worked her way through New York’s Pratt Institute by working as a model and fashion illustrator.

Censorship

In the end, ironically, it was Miss Fury’s high fashion wardrobe that became a major source of controversy.

In 1947, no less than 37 newspapers declined to run a panel that featured one of Mills’ tough-minded heroines, Era – a South American Nazi-Fighter who became a post-war nightclub entertainer – dressed as Eve, replete with snake and apple, in a spangled, two-piece costume.

This was not the only time the comic strip was censored. Earlier in the decade, Timely comics had refused to run a picture of the villainess Erica resplendent in her bath – surrounded by pink flamingo wallpaper.

Erica in the bath, surrounded by pink flamingo wallpaper. (Author provided.)

But so many frilly negligées, cat fights, and shower scenes had escaped the censor’s eye. It’s not a leap to speculate that behind the ban lay the post-war backlash against powerful and unconventional women.

In wartime, nations had relied on women to fill the production jobs that men had left behind. Just as “Rosie the Riveter” encouraged women to get to work with the slogan “We Can Do It!”, so too the comparative absence of men opened up room for less conventional images of women in the comics.

A Miss Fury paper doll cut out. (Author provided)

Once the war was over, women lost their jobs to returning servicemen. Comic creators were no longer encouraged to show women as independent or decisive. Politicians and psychologists attributed juvenile delinquency to the rise of unconventional comic book heroines and by 1954 the Comics Code Authority was policing the representation of women in comics, in line with increasingly conservative ideologies. In the 1950s, female action comics gave way to romance ones, featuring heroines who once again placed men at the centre of their existence.

Miss Fury was dropped from circulation in December 1951, and despite a handful of attempted comebacks, Mills and her anarchic creation slipped from public view.

Mills continued to work as a commercial illustrator on the fringes of a booming advertising industry. In 1971, she turned a hand to romance comics, penning a seven-page story that was published by Marvel, but it wasn’t her forte. In 1979, she began work on a graphic novel Albino Jo, which remains unfinished.

Despite her chronic asthma, Mills – like the reckless Noir heroine she so resembled – chain-smoked to the bitter end. She died of emphysema on December 12, 1988, and is buried in New Jersey under the simple inscription, “Creator of Miss Fury”.

This year Mills’ work will be belatedly recognised. As a recipient of the 2019 Eisner Award, she will finally take her place in the Comics Hall of Fame, alongside the male creators of the Golden Age who have too long dominated the history of the genre. Hopefully this will bring her comic creation the kind of notoriety, readership and big screen adventures she thoroughly deserves.

About Today's Contributor:

Camilla Nelson, Associate Professor in Media, University of Notre Dame Australia

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 

'Black Panther' And Its Science Role Models Inspire More Than Just Movie Awards

King of a technologically advanced country, Black Panther is a scientific genius. (© 2017 – Disney/Marvel Studios)

It has been said many times that the Marvel movie “Black Panther” is an important landmark. I’m not referring to its deserved critical and box office success worldwide, the many awards it has won, or the fact that it is the first film in the superhero genre to be nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards.

Instead, I’m focusing on a key aspect of its cultural impact that is less frequently discussed. Finally a feature film starring a black superhero character became part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – a successful run of intertwined movies that began with “Iron Man” in 2008. While there have been other superhero movies with a black lead character – “Hancock” (2008), “Blade” (1998), “Spawn” (1997) or even “The Meteor Man” (1993) – this film is significant because of the recent remarkable rise of the superhero film from the nerdish fringe to part of mainstream culture.

Huge audiences saw a black lead character – not a sidekick or part of a team – in a superhero movie by a major studio, with a black director (Ryan Coogler), black writers and a majority black cast. This is a significant step toward diversifying our culture by improving the lackluster representation of minorities in our major media. It’s also a filmmaking landmark because black creators have been given access to the resources and platforms needed to bring different storytelling perspectives into our mainstream culture.

2017’s “Wonder Woman” forged a similar path. In that case, a major studio finally decided to commit resources to a superhero film headlined by a female character and directed by a woman, Patty Jenkins. Female directors are a minority in the movie industry. Jenkins brought a new perspective to this kind of action movie, and there was a huge positive response from audiences in theaters worldwide.

And beyond all this, “Black Panther” also broke additional ground in a way most people may not realize: In the comics, the character is actually a scientist and engineer. Moreover, in the inevitable (and somewhat ridiculous) ranking of scientific prowess that happens in the comic book world, he’s been portrayed as at least the equal of the two most famous “top scientists” in the Marvel universe: Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic). A black headlining superhero character written and directed by black artists is rare enough from a major studio. But making him – and his sister Shuri – successful scientists and engineers as well is another level of rarity.

Scientists on screen

I’m a scientist who cares about increased engagement with science by the general public. I’ve worked as a science adviser on many film and TV projects (though not “Black Panther”). When the opportunity arises, I’ve helped broaden the diversity of scientist characters portrayed onscreen.

Jason Wilkes is a black scientist on ‘Agent Carter,’ whose character emerged from the author’s talks with the show’s writers. (ABC Television, CC BY-ND)

I’ve also recently published a nonfiction graphic book for general audiences called “The Dialogues: Conversations about the Nature of the Universe.” Its characters include male and female black scientists, discussing aspects of my own field of theoretical physics – where black scientists are unfortunately very rare. So the opportunity that the “Black Panther” movie presents to inform and inspire vast audiences is of great interest to me.

Panels from ‘The Dialogues,’ including a black female scientist. 'The Dialogues,' by Clifford V. Johnson (MIT Press 2017), CC BY-ND

The history and evolution of the Black Panther character and his scientific back story is a fascinating example of turning a problematic past into a positive opportunity.

Created in 1966 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, he’s the first black superhero character in mainstream comics, originally appearing as a guest in a “Fantastic Four” Marvel comic. As a black character created and initially written by nonblack authors, guest-starring in the pages of a book headlined by white characters, he had many of the classic attributes of what is now sometimes controversially known as the “magical negro” in American cultural criticism: He ranked extremely highly in every sphere that mattered, to the point of being almost too unreal even for the comics of the time.

Black Panther is T’Challa, king of the fictional African country Wakanda, which is fathomlessly wealthy and remarkably advanced, scientifically and technologically. Even Marvel’s legendary master scientist – Reed Richards of the superhero team Fantastic Four – is befuddled by and full of admiration for Wakanda’s scientific capabilities. T’Challa himself is portrayed as an extraordinary “genius” in physics and other scientific fields, a peerless tactician, a remarkable athlete and a master of numerous forms of martial arts. And he is noble to a fault. Of course, he grows to become a powerful ally of the Fantastic Four and other Marvel superheroes over many adventures.

While likening Black Panther to a ‘refugee from a Tarzan movie,’ the Fantastic Four marveled at his technological innovations in ‘Introducing the Sensational Black Panther.’ Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966). [Marvel Comics]

The key point here is that the superlative scientific ability of our hero, and that of his country, has its origins in the well-meaning, but problematic, practice of inventing near or beyond perfect black characters to support stories starring primarily white protagonists. But this is a lemons-to-lemonade story.

The Fantastic Four were amazed by the scientific ingenuity of Wakanda in ‘Whosoever Finds The Evil Eye.’ Fantastic Four #54 (September 1966). [Marvel Comics]

Black Panther eventually got to star in his own series of comics. He was turned into a nuanced and complex character, moving well away from the tropes of his beginnings. Writer Don McGregor’s work started this development as early as 1973, but Black Panther’s journey to the multilayered character you see on screen was greatly advanced by the efforts of several writers with diverse perspectives. Perhaps most notably, in the context of the film, these include Christopher Priest (late 1990s) and Ta-Nehisi Coates (starting in 2016), along with Roxane Gay and Yona Harvey, writing in “World of Wakanda” (2016). Coates and Gay, already best-selling literary writers before coming to the character, helped bring him to wider attention beyond normal comic book fandom, partly paving the way for the movie.

Through all of the improved writing of T'Challa and his world, his spectacular scientific ability has remained prominent. Wakanda continues to be a successful African nation with astonishing science and technology. Furthermore, and very importantly, T'Challa is not portrayed as an anomaly among his people in this regard. There are many great scientists and engineers in the Wakanda of the comics, including his sister Shuri. In some accounts, she (in the continued scientist-ranking business of comics) is an even greater intellect than he is. In the movie, T’Challa’s science and engineering abilities are referred to, but it is his sister Shuri who takes center stage in this role, having taken over to design the new tools and weapons he uses in the field. She also uses Wakandan science to heal wounds that would have been fatal elsewhere in the world.

Black Panther isn’t an isolated genius – his half-sister Shuri is a technological wiz herself. Marvel Studios

If they can do it, then why not me?

As a scientist who cares about inspiring more people – including underrepresented minorities and women – to engage with science, I think that showing a little of this scientific landscape in “Black Panther” potentially amplifies the movie’s cultural impact.

Vast audiences see black heroes – both men and women – using their scientific ability to solve problems and make their way in the world, at an unrivaled level. Research has shown that such representation can have a positive effect on the interests, outlook and career trajectories of viewers.

Improving science education for all is a core endeavor in a nation’s competitiveness and overall health, but outcomes are limited if people aren’t inspired to take an interest in science in the first place. There simply are not enough images of black scientists – male or female – in our media and entertainment to help inspire. Many people from underrepresented groups end up genuinely believing that scientific investigation is not a career path open to them.

Moreover, many people still see the dedication and study needed to excel in science as “nerdy.” A cultural injection of Black Panther heroics helps continue to erode the crumbling tropes that science is only for white men or reserved for people with a special “science gene.”

The huge widespread success of the “Black Panther” movie, showcasing T'Challa, Shuri and other Wakandans as highly accomplished scientists, remains one of the most significant boosts for science engagement in recent times.

About Today's Contributor:

Clifford V. Johnson is the author of:The Dialogues: Conversations about the Nature of the Universe
Clifford Johnson, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 

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Ella Fitzgerald's Inaugural Live Album For Verve, 'Ella At The Shrine', Recorded In 1956 But Unreleased For More Than 60 Years, Available Now On Vinyl

Unreleased for more than 60 years, Ella Fitzgerald's live concert from 1956, 'Ella At The Shrine,' is now widely available on vinyl via Verve/UMe

Recorded live at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 21, 1956, Ella At The Shrine captures Ella Fitzgerald at the beginning of her career renaissance, just weeks after becoming the first signing to Norman Granz's newly-created Verve Records. 

The brief but thrilling set, which was part of Granz's historic Jazz At The Philharmonic concert series, was only recently discovered after more than 60 years of languishing in Verve's vaults. 

Thought to be Verve's first live recording, Ella At The Shrine is available today via Verve/UMe as a single LP on standard weight black vinyl. It will be available for digital download and streaming for the first time next Friday, March 1. 

⏩ This wide release follows a limited edition yellow vinyl version released in November 2018 as part of Record Store Day's Black Friday. 

Ella At the Shrine contains the sweet taste of a new and shining era for Ella as she becomes the crown jewel of Verve Records. Fitzgerald delivers a rousing seven-song set, which most notably includes an early version of George and Ira Gershwin's "'S Wonderful," three years before she would perfect the song on her monumental 1959 album Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George and Ira Gershwin Song Book and cause Ira Gershwin to famously remark: "I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them." 

Ella At the Shrine showcases The First Lady of Song just weeks before she'd go on to record her breakthrough album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book. 

Other tunes performed this evening include the bluesy "Cry Me A River," the rhythmic "Lullaby of Birdland," the swinging "Joe Williams's Blues" and "Air Mail Special," a bouncy number featuring Fitzgerald's famed scatting skills. 

The album includes liner notes by jazz broadcaster and educator, Phil Schaap, who discovered this recording in an undocumented area in Verve's vault where it sat untouched for more than six decades.

In celebration of Fitzgerald's centennial in 2017, Verve debuted the previously unreleased Ella at Zardi's: an acclaimed live album that was recorded during her two-week stint at the nightclub in Hollywood. This recording, which earned Fitzgerald her first No. 1 on the Jazz Album Chart and her second No. 1 on the Traditional Jazz Albums Chart, was initially thought to be both the label's and Fitzgerald's first live album for Verve. 

Remarkably, Granz recorded and emceed Ella at the Shrine 10 days prior, announcing on the LP, as Fitzgerald is leaving the stage and the crowd roars for more, that "Ella has to get back to Zardi's." Due to the closeness in timeframe, it is easy to assume she is backed by the same musicians who played on Ella at Zardi's: Don Abney, piano; Vernon Alley or Joe Mondragon, bass; Frank Capp Drums.

Ella Fitzgerald with Marylin Monroe (Image via The Vintage News)

Fitzgerald's unwaning influence and remarkable legacy remains as strong as ever and her music continues to be honored and celebrated long after her passing. 

Most recently, the Recording Academy inducted her landmark 1959 album Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George and Ira Gershwin Song Books into the 2019's GRAMMY Hall Of Fame, just ahead of its 60th anniversary. 

With a goal of "preserving and celebrating timeless recordings," the inductions are for recordings at least 25 years old that exhibit qualitative or historical significance. Fitzgerald's album was one of 25 new titles inducted this year alongside recordings from: Aerosmith, Dolly Parton, Fats Domino, Frank Sinatra, Leonard Cohen, Miles Davis, Nina Simone and Tom Petty. "We're honored to add these masterpieces to our growing catalog and are delighted to celebrate the impact they've had on our musical, social, and cultural history," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. 

Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George and Ira Gershwin Song Books is her third song book to join the illustrious GRAMMY Hall Of Fame, joining Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Song Book and Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Rodgers & Hart Song Book as well as several other albums and songs. In its recent appreciation of Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Gershwin Song Book, the Wall Street Journal asserted: "Fitzgerald's most ambitious album and one of her crowning achievements, this songbook is a matchless treasure."

Ella Fitzgerald (image via Jazziz.com)

Ella At The Shrine Track Listing:

SIDE ONE
1. 'S Wonderful
2. Cry Me a River
3. Lullaby of Birdland
4.Glad to be Unhappy

SIDE TWO
1. And the Angels Sing
2. Joe Williams's Blues
3. Air Mail Special
4. Norman Granz Announcement

⏩ "Ella At The Shrine" can now be ordered here ⏪

About The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation:

The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation was created and funded in 1993 by Ella Fitzgerald in order to fulfill her desire to use the fruits of her success to help people of all races, cultures and beliefs. 

Fitzgerald hoped to make their lives more rewarding, and she wanted to foster a love of reading, as well as a love of music. In addition, she hoped to provide assistance to the at-risk and disadvantaged members of our communities—assistance that would enable them to achieve a better quality of life. 

⏩ The Board of Directors of the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation seeks to continue Ella Fitzgerald's goals by making charitable grants serving four major areas of interest:

• creating educational and other opportunities for children
• fostering a love and knowledge of music, including assistance to students of music
• the provision of health care, food, shelter and counseling to those in need
• specific areas of medical care and research with an emphasis on Diabetes, vision problems and heart disease

SOURCE: Verve/UMe

Atlanta History Center Unveils Restored 1886 Cyclorama Depicting 1864 Battle of Atlanta

Atlanta History Center Unveils Restored 1886 Cyclorama Depicting 1864 Battle of Atlanta

Today, the Atlanta History Center opens Cyclorama: The Big Picture, featuring the fully restored The Battle of Atlanta cyclorama painting. Depicting the 1864 Battle of Atlanta—a major turning point in the Civil War—the 360-degree cyclorama is one of the world's largest oil paintings, standing 49 feet tall, stretching longer than a football field and weighing 10,000 pounds. 

Enhanced by multimedia storytelling technologies—including a 12-minute, larger-than-life presentation projected onto the painting—the exhibit is housed in the Lloyd and Mary Ann Whitaker Cyclorama Building at the Atlanta History Center, a newly erected, custom-built 25,000-square-foot space. 

The Battle of Atlanta cyclorama is one of only two cycloramas in the United States, the other being The Battle of Gettysburg cyclorama, making the Atlanta History Center home to one of America's largest historic treasures.

In the 1880s, cycloramas—massive 360-degree paintings—provided immersive experiences analogous to today's virtual reality. They were created as money-making attractions and a form of entertainment—the IMAX of their time. The Battle of Atlanta cyclorama is a full-color, 3D illusion designed to transport the viewer onto the battlefield. The painting visually tells the story of the 1864 Battle of Atlanta, but over time it has evolved into a significant artifact that has its own fascinating story, as its historical journey is indeed part of the "big picture." 

The new exhibit was created to give visitors an experience true to the one offered when the cyclorama was created in 1886—an experience no one has witnessed in more than 100 years. Restoration highlights include:

• Re-creation of three missing sections, adding 2,908 square feet to the painting to return it to its original size of 14,952 square feet
• Erection of a 15-foot stationary platform upon which visitors can view the composition at eye-level
• Re-creation of a 120-foot, custom-made diorama landscape, including 128 original restored diorama figures from 1936
• Corrected hyperbolic shape through re-tensioning, conveying the originally intended 3D effect

Painting Close Up of Solider Scene from Hillary Hardwick (AHC Marketing Dept.)

Created at the American Panorama Company in Milwaukee by 17 German artists in 1866, 22 years after the Battle of Atlanta, the painting originally depicted the battle from a Northern perspective—as a heroic Union victory—to appeal to Northern audiences. 

When the painting relocated to Atlanta in 1892, it was slightly modified and advertised as "the only Confederate victory ever painted" to appeal to Southern audiences with Confederate sympathies. 

The Battle of Atlanta was not a Confederate victory, and those 1892 changes—like repainting fleeing Confederates in gray uniforms to depict fleeing Union soldiers in blue uniforms—were repainted yet again in the 1930s to accurately portray the original design.

Throughout the 127 years that the cyclorama has been on display in Atlanta, it has been the subject of periodic interpretation. At times, it was seen as a proud symbol of the New South's capital, rising from the ashes left by General William T. Sherman. It has also been criticized as an anachronism meant to glorify the Lost Cause of the Confederacy. 

Perceptions of history, and the painting itself, have depended on the eye of the beholder, as audiences have viewed it in different times and places throughout the years. 

With this new exhibit, the Atlanta History Center intends to channel these varying viewpoints into a deeper conversation.

"History is messy, but it has a lot to teach us—if we let it," said Sheffield Hale, president and chief executive officer of the Atlanta History Center. "What makes Cyclorama: The Big Picture so cool is the surprise factor of the painting's history—the 'how and why' it was created, and its various interpretations over time. We are challenging visitors to explore their own perceptions and misperceptions of history. Facts are facts, but the way we view the past varies widely."

The Atlanta History Center will use this restored work of art and entertainment, and the history of the painting itself, as a tool to talk about the "big picture."

Through exhibitions, rare artifacts, historic images, immersive technology, digital resources, videos and museum theater, visitors are encouraged to look critically at a range of Civil War imagery and consider how images and entertainment can influence how we perceive history. Photography, art, movies, marketing and media all provoke emotions and can generate incorrect, or incomplete, ideas about historical events. They do not always provide the full perspective of events and people.

"These shifting viewpoints are precisely what make The Battle of Atlanta cyclorama such a distinctive and important artifact," said Atlanta History Center Senior Military Historian Gordon Jones. "No other object can so vividly tell the story of how attitudes toward the Civil War have been shaped and reshaped over the past 150 years. In fact, it is the largest single artifact in existence to demonstrate the power of the use and misuse of historical memory." 

⏩ Seeded by a $10 million gift from Atlantans Lloyd and Mary Ann Whitaker, the Atlanta History Center raised $35.78 million for the project, including $10 million for an endowment that will ensure the ongoing care of The Battle of Atlanta painting and related objects, including the locomotive Texas, during the 75-year license agreement with the City of Atlanta. Additionally, $2.6 million was dedicated to painting conservation and restoration and $2.9 million to safely relocate the painting. 

Visitor Experience

Visitors are greeted by an introductory video as they enter Cyclorama: The Big Picture. Two levels of exhibitions detail truths and myths of the Civil War, explore the untold stories of the painting, examine the role movies and visual entertainment have on shaping perspectives of the Civil War and provide a look at the fleeting entertainment sensation of cycloramas.

Guests enter the painting rotunda through a tunnel, passing underneath the diorama before ascending an escalator to the 15-foot stationary viewing platform. Here, visitors immediately experience a full 360-degree view of the painting, enhanced by a 12-minute, larger-than-life theatrical presentation projected onto the painting. In addition, visitors can use handheld tablets to point at various scenes on the painting which offer more detailed information.

Visitor Details

Cyclorama: The Big Picture is included in Atlanta History Center's all-inclusive general admission ticket, which includes full access to all exhibitions, three historic houses and 33 acres of Goizueta Gardens. Parking is free. Souper Jenny Café, BRASH Coffee and the Atlanta History Center's Gift Shop and Bookstore are accessible to all visitors and do not require tickets.

⏩Timed tickets are required to access the platform and view the painting. Advance tickets available online at AtlantaHistoryCenter.com. 

Pre-Move Close Up of Painting on Scroll One. from Hillary Hardwick (AHC Marketing Dept.)

About Atlanta History Center

Founded in 1926, the Atlanta History Center is an all-inclusive, 33-acre destination featuring the Atlanta History Museum, one of the nation's largest history museums; including the new Cyclorama: The Big Picture experience; three historic houses—the 1920s Swan House, the 1860s Smith Family Farm and the 1830s Wood Family Cabin; Goizueta Gardens; the Kenan Research Center; the Grand Overlook event space; a museum shop; Souper Jenny café; and BRASH coffee shop. In addition, the Atlanta History Center welcomes visitors to the Margaret Mitchell House at Atlanta History Center Midtown.

• The Atlanta History Center is open 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and noon-5:30 p.m. Sundays (with ticket sales until 4:30 p.m. daily). Parking is free. 

SOURCE: Atlanta History Center

"Saving Washington" Film Rights Optioned by Producer of HBO's Big Little Lies

Saving Washington: The Forgotten Story of the Maryland 400 and The Battle of Brooklyn

Saving Washington, Chris Formant's riveting novel about the forgotten heroes who saved General George Washington and the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, has been optioned by Fearless Films/Gregg Fienberg, the Emmy Award-winning producer of Big Little Lies, as well as the Emmy Award-nominated Deadwood and True Blood, and Golden Globe-winning Twin Peaks.

Hidden in the pages of history, Formant's book reminds us of the sacrifices made for our country. "Saving Washington is the extraordinary story of America's Spartans, the Maryland 400, a group of young men from Maryland who stood up to an overwhelming British Army at the Battle of Brooklyn, buying time for Washington and the Continental Army to escape," Fienberg said. "If not for their sacrifice, the American Revolution would have been over that day."

According to author Chris Formant, the Battle of Brooklyn—the Revolutionary War's first and fiercest conflict—was once called, "An hour more precious to American Liberty than any other in history," and yet has been forgotten. 

"My fascination with this lost piece of history all started a few years ago. I accidentally came across a one-paragraph announcement in the Baltimore Sun describing a wreath laying ceremony near Prospect Park in Brooklyn to honor the heroism of a small Maryland regiment on August 27, 1776, and I wondered—as a student of history, why don't I know anything about this?" 

The desire to understand what would motivate an untested band of young soldiers to lay down their lives for a new nation fueled the passion that became Saving Washington.

"I'm excited that Gregg Fienberg has chosen this story of America's most forgotten heroes to bring to light on film and finally give the Maryland 400 the spotlight they deserve," Formant said. 

Formant's research led him to the Army War College where he brought decorated military leaders to tears describing that somewhere beneath the bustling streets of Brooklyn lie the remains of America's forgotten citizen-soldiers whose heroic sacrifice galvanized the nation on the eve of its birth.

With Saving Washington, Formant crafted a work of historical fiction that transports the reader back to that moment in 1776 and the escalating tension with the British. 

Seen through the eyes of two teenagers, one white and one black, Formant presents the colliding forces of personal freedom, taxation, American exceptionalism and Old Testament religion. It is a story that reminds us of the extraordinary devotion that founded our new country.

Chris Formant (lmage via BookTrib)

About Chris Formant:

(via chrisformant.com)

"Novelist Chris Formant is a student of history. He’s a former top executive of a multi-billion-dollar global business and now technology company CEO. Formant is an unlikely author of historical fiction, but the heroic story of Maryland’s Forgotten 400 drove him to assemble an expert team to help him conduct painstaking research and then write his second book, Saving Washington,.

His debut novel, Bright Midnight, received lavish praise and has been dubbed the “Da Vinci Code for rock and roll fans.” In the thriller, Formant created a unique mystery in which he re-imagined the deaths of rock icons as murders. 

Chris splits his time between Baltimore, Maryland and Sedona, Arizona."

SOURCE: Chris Formant

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