2024 News

The Gettysburg Foundation is offering area residents and visitors to Gettysburg the opportunity to purchase tickets to experience An Evening with the Painting on select dates in October 2024. The popular program on the historic Gettysburg Cyclorama in the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center will take place Saturday, Oct. 12 and Saturday, Oct. 26 from 5 until 7 p.m. The after-hours program provides a behind-the-scenes experience and a close-up look at the restored painting with a presentation combining history, art and preservation.

Painted in the 1880s by French artist Paul Philippoteaux and a team of artists, the Battle of Gettysburg Cyclorama is an immense work of art measuring 42 feet high and 377 feet long. The Gettysburg Cyclorama is one of the largest, free-standing paintings in North America. A rendition of "Pickett's Charge" on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the painting is suspended in-the-round from the ceiling. This massive piece of history creates a remarkable 360-degree, three-dimensional appearance when viewed from the platform.

An Evening with the Painting explores the history of the genre of cycloramas and the iconic Battle of Gettysburg Cyclorama. The presentation covers the creation of this historic piece of art, the rich symbolism found in the painting and the extensive conservation effort to restore the canvas visitors experience today. Ticket holders can spend extended time on the viewing platform to observe in full light the close-up details and distant battle scenes depicted in the painting. Guests can journey under the diorama to get a better view of how the three-dimensional “illusion” comes alive. Time is provided for Q&A.

Limited to 40 attendees, each presentation offers ticket holders approximately two hours of programming. The program begins in the Ford Motor Company Fund Education Center and continues on the Cyclorama platform. The program is also scheduled to be offered on these select dates and times this year:

To reserve tickets for An Evening with the Painting, call the Gettysburg Foundation Guest Relations team at 717-334-2436 or visit GettysburgFoundation.org. Tickets can also be purchased in advance at the Ticket Counter inside the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center, 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, Pa. Friends of Gettysburg receive a special member rate when purchasing tickets for this program. The Gettysburg Foundation is the official non-profit partner of the National Parks at Gettysburg. Proceeds from ticket purchases benefit Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site.