One of the earliest large-format photographs of the moon

RUTHERFURD, Lewis Morris.

A view of the Moon.

New York: Lewis Morris Rutherfurd, 1865.

1st Edition. No Binding. Very Good. Item #002965

Large-format albumen print photograph mounted on the black card stock as issued. Image size 555 x 425 mm (22 x 16 3/4 inches), signed 'Lewis M. Rutherfurd' and dated 'N.Y. March 6, 1865' in the plate. Minor wear, overall a fine example with rich, beautiful tones. Together with a large-format photographic portrait of Rutherfurd (with clean tear in mount extending into image). ----

A remarkable, civil-war-era, large-format photograph by Rutherfurd showing the first quarter moon in little more than half-illumination. Lewis Morris Rutherfurd, lawyer, American astronomer and pioneering astrophotographer, was regarded by his English colleague and admirer Richard Proctor as 'the greatest lunar photographer of the age'. Rutherfurd was among the first American astronomers to use photography in astrophysical research. For these large photographs which surpassed any photographs of the moon up to that time and for twenty years or so afterwards, Rutherfurd used a new 11.5-inch objective lens. In 1858, he built his garden observatory at his home at 11th Street and 2nd Avenue in New York, and spent the rest of his life working on astronomical photography and spectroscopy. Beside lunar photography, Rutherfurd produced outstanding photographs of the sun and planets, as well as star clusters and stars down to the fifth magnitude. He invented instruments for his studies, including the micrometer for measuring photographs, a machine for producing improved ruled diffraction gratings, and the first telescope designed specifically for astrophotography.
Large-format albumen prints by Rutherfurd are very rare on the market. Bonhams sold one, also dated March 6, 1865, in 2012 for US$ 22,500. - Visit our website for additional images!

Price: 18,000 €  *  convert currency