Diorama - Historic Dioramas - The Gottstein Dioramas

The Gottstein Dioramas

Until 1968 Britain boasted a large collection of dioramas. These collections were originally housed in the Royal United Services Institute Museum, (formerly the Banqueting House), in Whitehall. However, when the museum closed, the various exhibits and their 15 known dioramas were distributed to smaller museums throughout England, some ending up in Canada and elsewhere. These dioramas were the brainchild of the wealthy furrier Otto Gottstein (1892–1951) of Leipzig, a Jewish immigrant from Hitler’s Germany, who was an avid collector and designer of flat model figures called flats. In 1930, Gottstein’s influence is first seen at the Leipzig International Exhibition, along with the dioramas of Hahnemann of Kiel, Biebel of Berlin and Muller of Erfurt, all displaying their own figures, and those commissioned from such as Ludwig Frank in large diorama form. In 1933 Gottstein left Germany, and in 1935 founded the British Model Soldier Society. Gottstein persuaded designer and painter friends in both Germany and France to help in the construction of dioramas depicting notable events in English history. But due to the war, many of the figures arrived in England incomplete. The task of turning Gottstein’s ideas into reality fell to his English friends and those friends who had managed to escape from the Continent. Dennis (Denny) C. Stokes, a talented painter and diorama maker in his own right, was responsible for the painting of the backgrounds of all the dioramas, creating a unity seen throughout the whole series. Denny Stokes was given the overall supervision of the fifteen dioramas.

• 1. The Landing of the Romans under Julius Caesar in 55 B.C.
• 2. The Battle of Hastings.
• 3. The Storming of Acre. (Figures by Muller.)
• 4. The Battle of Crecy. (Figures by Muller.)
• 5. The Field of the Cloth of Gold.
• 6. The Queen Elizabeth reviewing her troops at Tilbury.
• 7. The Battle of Marston Moor.
• 8. The Battle of Blenheim. (Painted by Douchkine.)
• 9. The Battle of Plessey.
• 10. The Battle of Quebec. (Engraved by Krunert of Vienna.)
• 11. The Old Guard at Waterloo.
• 12. The Charge of the Light Brigade.
• 13. The Battle of Ulundi. (figures by Ochel, and Petrocochino - pseudonym of Paul Armont.)
• 14. The Battle of Fleurs.
• 15. The D-Day landings.

Krunert, Schirmer, Frank, Frauendorf, Maier, Franz Rieche and Oesterrich were also involved in the manufacture and design of figures for the various dioramas. Krunert (a Viennese), like Gottstein an exile in London, was given the job of engraving for ‘The Battle of Quebec’. Unfortunately, the ‘death of Wolfe’ was found to be inaccurate and had to be re-designed. The names of the vast majority of painters employed by Gottstein are mostly unknown, most lived and worked on the continent, among them Gustave Kenmow, Leopold Rieche, L. Dunekate, M. Alexandre, A. Ochel, Honey Ray and, perhaps Gottstein’s top painter, Vladimir Douchkine (a Russian émigré who lived in Paris). Douchkine was responsible for painting two figures of the Duke of Marlborough on horseback for ‘The Blenheim Diorama’, one of which was used, the other, Gottstein being the true collector, was never released.

Denny Stokes painted all the backgrounds of all the dioramas, Herbert Norris, the Historical Costume Designer, whom Dr. J. F. Lovel-Barnes introduced to Gottstein, was responsible for the costume design of the Ancient Britons, the Normans and Saxons, some of the figures of ‘The Field of the Cloth of Gold’ and the Elizabethan figures for ‘Queen Elizabeth at Tilbury’. Dr. J.F. Lovel-Barnes was himself responsible for the ‘Battle of Blenheim’ diorama, selecting the figures, and arrangement of the scene. Due to World War II, when flat figures became unavailable, Gottstein completed his ideas by using Greenwood and Ball’s 20 mm figures. In time a fifteenth diorama was added, using these 20 mm figures, this diorama representing the ‘D-Day landings’. When all the dioramas were completed, they were displayed along one wall in the Royal United Services Institute Museum. When the museum was closed the fifteen dioramas were distributed to various museums and institutions. The greatest number are to be found at the Glenbow Museum, (130-9th Avenue, S. E. Calgary, Alberta, Canada): RE: 'The Landing of the Romans under Julius Caesar in 55 BC', 'The Battle Of Crecy', 'The Battle of Blenheim', 'The Old Guard at Waterloo', 'The Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava'.

The state of these dioramas is one of debate; John Garratt (The World of Model Soldiers) claimed in 1968, that the dioramas “appear to have been partially broken up and individual figures have been sold to collectors”. According to the Glenbow Institute (Barry Agnew, Curator) “the figures are still in reasonable condition, but the plaster groundwork has suffered considerable deterioration”. Unfortunately, there are no photographs available of the dioramas. ‘The Battle of Hastings’ diorama was to be found in the Old Town Museum, Hastings, and is still in reasonable condition. It shows the Norman cavalry charging up Senlac Hill towards the Saxon lines. ‘The Storming of Acre’ is in the Museum of Artillery at the Rotunda, Woolwich. John Garratt, in the "Encyclopedia of Model Soldiers", states that ‘The Field of the Cloth of Gold’ was in the possession of the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall; however, according to the Curator, the diorama had not been in his possession since 1980, nor is it listed in their Accession Book, so the whereabouts of this diorama is unknown.