Battle of Bunker's Hill dioramas

  

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  Being the anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill I thought I would post a series of articles on the battle this week.  When I was with the National Park Service (1975 to 2005) I was site supervisor for the Charlestown district of Boston National Historical Par which included the monument. Although the city of Charlestown has been built over the battlefield a careful walk will still turn up portions of the fields today.

  Back in the 1980's and 1990's there were three dioramas at the Bunker Hill monument in Charlestown Massachusetts.  These were very important to the Park Rangers who used them for interpretation of the battle.  While there are still some landmarks of the grounds the entire battlefield has disappeared under contract and tenement houses.  Presently I have been told these dioramas have been moved across the street to a new and improved museum.

  Two of the dioramas were built by the Pittman studios in Cambridge Massachusetts during the 1930's.  The first was a diorama of the Charlestown peninsula as it looked at the time of the battle.  It includes Boston and the surrounding countryside.  Most importantly it showed the harbour and various small rivers and creeks.  What it does not show are the mud flats and marshy ground which effected where the British could or could not land troops.

  Next was a large shadow box of the redoubt atop Breed's Hill.  The view is along the breastork towards the redoubt atop Breeds Hill. As with all Pittman dioramas there are plenty if fascinating details.   The figures are made from wax and clay.  

  Lastly, a massive diorama of the battle.  This was constructed by a members of the  Massachusetts Military Miniatures painters for the Museum of Fine Art,  in  Boston as part of a bicentennial project in 1975.  The figures were made by Jack Scruby and as still available today as his 9mm American Revolution line.  The topography is excellent but the troop movement show a variety of times during the battle rather then one attack.

Guernsey-Pitman Studios

 

  From 1930-1955 Samuel Guernsey and Theodore Pitman constructed a number of  historically incredible diorama's. Both men had been professors at Harvard university.  They had a office in Harvard square. 

   The Guernsey-Pitman Studios are perhaps best known for their 23 large dioramas located at the Harvard Forest Museum in Petersham, Massachusetts. These amazing diorama's depict the same  portion of land in Massachusett and how it changed over three centuries.

   Guernsey and Pitman also constructed a number of dioramas which I have tried and find over the years.  Here are the hand full I have found or seen references to.  

 There were three depicting the Harvard University campus and surrounding area as it would have looked in the years 1677, 1775 and 1936.  These where located in  Widner Library  in Cambridge Massachusetts but sadly were removed and are now in storage.  At the Science Museum in Boston is a diorama of the Samuel McKay shipyard in East Boston. There is a diorama of the Alamo but I have only seen pictures of it.   At the Concord Museum in Concord Massachusetts is a dioramas of the Battle at Concord Bridge.  

Clipped ship Flying Cloud being built at McKay shipyard Boston Massachusetts

The Alamo

North Bridge Fight

  Lastly four dioramas depicting major events in American history are at the town Hall in Newton Massachusetts.  These include von Stueban drilling the troops at Valley Forge; the USS Constitution's battle with HMS Guerriere; Pickets charge on the third day's fight at Gettysburg; and the 26th Infantry Division at the World War I Battle of Seicheprey.