London's 1840s estate agents used a 'cosmorama' to sell luxury homes
Before Rightmove, there was the Cosmorama
Researchers at the University of Exeter have found that a high-end London estate agency, Brooks and Green, used an immersive visual technology called a cosmorama in the 1840s and 1850s to market luxury properties. The device, which used convex lenses and controlled lighting to create depth and an illusion of virtual travel, predated photography and online listings by over a century. The study catalogued over 650 cosmoramas across Europe and the Americas, revealing their use beyond entertainment.
In that context, we can see how Brooks and Green pioneered the virtual tour, over 150 years before digital technology would fully realise this potential.