Letter from Asahel Hart Woodruff, 17 April 1884
Chicago Ill
Dear Father & Mother
We arrived
here yeasterday morning @ 7, took the
buss for the Brevoort House, charterd
a room for the four of us & proceded
to take in the town. We visited first the
Panorama, this is a work of art by Paul
Philippoteaux inclosed in a large octogon
shaped building, you enter on the wright
& ascend a winding stair way until
you finaly emerge on a sort of platform
near the top of the inside of the structure when
you behold the troops of the Union & Federal
armies engaged in the thick of the fight of
the memmoriable battle of Gettysburg. So
realistac doses it seem that one believes
he is standing on the battle ground instead
of viewing it on canvas. This painting
covers 20000 sq ft of canvas it is 50 ft
high & 400 ft long cost $150,000. From here
we walked over to Michigan Avenue
this street runs by the lake & is the Br [page torn]
of chicago, here is located the aristocra [page torn]
