Photograph (Experimental Photogenic Drawing) of Sir William Herschel's 40-Foot Telescope at Slough, by Sir John Herschel, November 30, 1839 | |||||||||||
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| Inventory Number: | 21527 | ||||||||||
| Object Type: | | ||||||||||
| Persons: |
Sir John Frederick William Herschel (Photographer) Sir William Herschel | ||||||||||
| Date Created: | 1839 | ||||||||||
| Accession Number: | 1928-71 | ||||||||||
| Brief Description: | Experimental photogenic drawing of the mounting of Sir William Herschel's 40-foot telescope in the garden of Herschel's house at Slough, by Sir John Herschel, November 30, 1839, one of 4 specimens in this collection. The paper has been cut (before exposure) to a circle 92 mm (approximately 3.6 inches) diameter. Subject: Sir William Herschel's 40-foot telescope Technique: camera-type image, probably (in view of the circular format and the dimensions) made in a telescope tube used as a makeshift camera obscura Format: circular Polarity: negative Orientation: laterally reversed Quality: poor Colour: xxx Chemistry: paper treated first with lead acetate then sensitised with silver nitrate, presumably hypo fixed Coating: none Inscription: date, chemical and procedural note Paper: xxx Condition: good Purpose: an experiment that tests a particular sensitising chemistry (see above) on a camera image; the other purpose of the series of photographs of the telescope taken in the autumn of 1839 was to record the structure prior to its demolition; they are the only camera images made by Herschel. For fuller descriptive and historical commentary see narratives. | ||||||||||
| Primary Inscriptions: | 'Nov. 30/39 Lead paper fresh washed with NS. & used wet' [nitrate of silver; in Herschel's hand]. | ||||||||||
| Provenance: | Presented by Miss Herschel and Lady Lubbock in 1928. They were the two surviving and youngest children of Sir John Herschel (Francisca and Constance). | ||||||||||
| Collection Group: | Herschel's Photographic Experiments | ||||||||||
| Material(s): |
Paper | ||||||||||
| Dimensions: |
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Narratives | |||||||||||
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