Part 1: What is a diorama?

Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre (1787-1851) was an exceptionally inquisitive artist as painter, set designer and photographer. To assist his set designs he invented and built dioramas and became famous for his dioramas. For his sketches to develop the dioramas and theatrical sets he used an old method of camera obscura this led him to inventing daguerreotype with fellow inventor Nicéphore Niépce ( Niepce died in 1939) and Daguerre  continued to develop the medium it presented as an early form of photography on silver plate.

In today’s world a diorama is often a three-dimensional exhibit that is small in scale. Today’s dioramas provide a perfect art subject to work on with limited resources that takes time and needs your critical thinking resources.

Basic tools to create a diorama

  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Cardboard box any side
  • Paper, scape paper, old magazines, recycle gift paper, newsprint, etc any paper that folds bends and cuts
  • Paint if you have it
  • Pencils
  • Ruler
  • Pencils