The cyclorama in Thun, Switzerland.

The Swiss city of Thun is the home of Wocher's masterpiece. Painted between 1809 and 1814, it is the oldest cyclorama still in existence today.

Having patented his invention in 1787, the Irishman Robert Barker is generally considered the founder of the art of cyclorama painting. The first cycloramas were painted for the populations of the major cities of Europe such as London and Paris. In the 19th century, cycloramas became the first truly mass medium. Only about 30 cycloramas still exist today, and they form an elite "cyclorama society".