Dioramas were enormously popular public shows made up of vast panoramic views painted on almost transparent canvas. Effects were varied by changing the manner in which the pictures were illuminated, alternating between transmitted and reflected light to produce spectacular effects and images. Ruskin praises the Regent's Park Diorama of the early nineteenth century as 'very truly a school both in physics, geography and art', ( Works, 19.218) which he recommended for inclusion in the Crystal Palace Exhibitions.