The Panorama

As part of the official Kansas Pavilion in the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the Panorama was unique and revolutionary in depicting, for the first time, mounted groups of North American mammals in their natural surroundings. Lewis Lindsay Dyche created this exhibit on the cusp of growing scientific awareness of ecological systems and the need to conserve natural resources for the better good.

At a time when most natural history displays placed animals alone, the naturalist and explorer Lewis Lindsay Dyche created a wildlife display of wolves and moose in battle. Part art and part science, this one-of-a-kind display at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893 brought Kansas world-wide attention. Dyche Hall was built just a few years later to house the Panorama and KU's growing scientific collections.

The exhibit has grown over the years to include more different environs and species. The Panorama represents the university's early efforts to document and understand past and present life on Earth — research that continues today through the KU Biodiversity Institute. 

You can also virtually explore the animals of the Panorama with our Panorama Silhouette Game.