Telescopic Appearance of the Moon
One of a set of 12 hand-tinted astronomical prints with an explanatory card. The publisher is identified on each print as J. Reynolds or James Reynolds of the Strand, London. These cards were first issued by Reynolds in 1846, although he and other publishers continued to produce them throughout the second half of the 19th century. They responded to a perceived market for popular science products and were intended for informal learning within the home. They could be bought in sets or singly and, at a price of 1 shilling, were affordable to middle class audiences.
A number of the cards have tissue paper backings and holes in the card in order to allow the user to hold them up to the light and see the stars, planets or phases of the Moon displayed as light areas against a darker background. Several of the more detailed images were drawn and engraved by John Emslie, who also collaborated with Reynolds on another set of diagrams, "Illustrations of Natural Philosophy". Reynolds’ educational diagrams received a prize medal at the International Exhibition of 1862.
One of a set of 12 hand-tinted astronomical prints with explanatory card, this item shows the magnified appearance of the Moon, "as seen by Lord Rosse's great telescope", and the text at the bottom includes a description of this view by William Scoresby (1789-1857), which concludes "The general appearance ... was like one vast ruin of nature". An image of Rosse's telescope, the Leviathan of Parsonstown, can be seen on ZBA4557.
A number of the cards have tissue paper backings and holes in the card in order to allow the user to hold them up to the light and see the stars, planets or phases of the Moon displayed as light areas against a darker background. Several of the more detailed images were drawn and engraved by John Emslie, who also collaborated with Reynolds on another set of diagrams, "Illustrations of Natural Philosophy". Reynolds’ educational diagrams received a prize medal at the International Exhibition of 1862.
One of a set of 12 hand-tinted astronomical prints with explanatory card, this item shows the magnified appearance of the Moon, "as seen by Lord Rosse's great telescope", and the text at the bottom includes a description of this view by William Scoresby (1789-1857), which concludes "The general appearance ... was like one vast ruin of nature". An image of Rosse's telescope, the Leviathan of Parsonstown, can be seen on ZBA4557.
For more information about using images from our Collection, please contact RMG Images.
Object Details
Your Request
If an item is shown as “offsite”, please allow eight days for your order to be processed. For further information, please contact Archive staff:
Email: library@rmg.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 8312 6516 (during Library opening hours)
Click “Continue” below to continue processing your order with the Library team.