A London estate agent was offering prospective buyers an early form of “virtual property tour” more than 160 years before online listings and digital walk-throughs became commonplace. Combined with carefully controlled lighting, the displays gave viewers an immersive experience decades before photography became a standard part of property marketing. “For half a century, the cosmorama was one of the most common forms of visual show across Europe and the Americas,” he said. Professor Plunkett also traced the spread of cosmorama galleries across Britain and Ireland, where they appeared in bazaars, travelling shows and dedicated exhibition spaces. Professor Plunkett said the discovery highlights how estate agents were already experimenting with more sophisticated marketing techniques as Britain’s property market became increasingly professionalised.