Optical Cabinet

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Memory · Subcategory: Sites of memory · Year: 1875 · Authors: Gumersindo Robayna

Various and different functions of optical shows, ancestors of the cinematograph, were held during much of the second half of the 19th century in different venues in Santa Cruz: shadow puppetry, in a hall on Calle del Sol; cosmorama (representation of landscapes, monuments, buildings, towns, scenes of nature, etc., in pictures viewed through an optical glass), in 1864, at number 10 Calle del Castillo, etc.

Perhaps the most popular attraction of this type in the city was that carried out by the painter Gumersindo Robayna in 1875. Two rooms were made available to him in the Casino, where about 50 large canvases (2.16 by 1.17 metres) were displayed, presenting panoramic views animated by light effects of: the temple of Baalbek, the Alhambra, representative places of Paris, Rome, Naples, and other cities of the world.

The show was a huge success, later moving to Cuba.

28.46717, -16.24816