1935 · New York City
by Bennett, Dorothy
New York City: Junior Astronomy Club, American Museum of Natural History, 1935. Very Good. 8 5/8 x 8 5/8 inches. Printed blue paper. Revolving disc housed in a die-cut frame with metal center grommet. Overall light wear, a few creases, in good working order. Two previous owner names penciled on rear. "Beginning your explorations among the stars turn the disc so that the date on which you are observing corresponds with the time. In use, hold the chart overhead with the corner marked north pointing north. The stars will be seen exactly as they are in the sky. During the night, the stars rise in the east and set in the west; each successive night they rise earlier. The Star Explorer is up-to-date." (from the front cover instructions). Additional instructions are found on the rear, particularly related to constellations.
"Born in 1909 in Minneapolis, [Ms. Dorothy] Bennett was the only child of Daniel Bennett, an architect, and his wife, Marion. At the University of Minnesota she studied astronomy and anthropology, was president of the Women's Athletic Association, and graduated with an English degree. After her 1930 graduation, she wanted to go to Africa with an anthropology professor, but he would not take any women. So in the fall of 1930 she moved to New York, like so many before and after her: a college graduate with an English degree and no job. Her mother had said that if she didn't find work in 30 days, she had to come back to Minneapolis. Exactly 30 days after her arrival, she was hired as an assistant at the Department of Education at the American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side. When Museum Director George Sherwood asked what she proposed as a salary, she was stumped and finally said, "I think I would have to have $100 a month." Sherwood replied, "Well, Miss Bennett, if that is all you are worth, I am not sure I can hire you. We will pay you $125." She took over the recently founded Junior Astronomy Club, an educational group for teens, and under her stewardship it thrived. In an oral history she gave to the Society of Woman Geographers in 1994, she said, "The club, of course, had been originated not to make astronomers, but to give a wider interest and deeper horizons for youngsters... [Y]ou never can spend too much time with young people, in terms of building citizens for the future, not just in your particular interest, but in the broader appeal of life on this planet." (https://daily.jstor.org/dorothy-bennett/)
This educational item has gone through many revisions over the years, with other "editions" we've seen through at least the 1970s. Most science museums have modern plastic versions available in their gift shops as star gazing and learning never goes out of style. The mystery of who we are and our place in the universe still captures the imagination of this writer.
See Helfand below for a nice, short history of these (and similar) objects. Finding nice examples is becoming increasingly difficult.
LITERATURE:
Helfand, Jessica, "Reinventing the Wheel", Princeton Architectural Press, 2002, pp 23-28
JSTOR Daily newsletter, "The Star-Studded Life of Ms. Dorothy Bennett", by: Amy Sohn, April 6, 2016. (Inventory #: 29335)
"Born in 1909 in Minneapolis, [Ms. Dorothy] Bennett was the only child of Daniel Bennett, an architect, and his wife, Marion. At the University of Minnesota she studied astronomy and anthropology, was president of the Women's Athletic Association, and graduated with an English degree. After her 1930 graduation, she wanted to go to Africa with an anthropology professor, but he would not take any women. So in the fall of 1930 she moved to New York, like so many before and after her: a college graduate with an English degree and no job. Her mother had said that if she didn't find work in 30 days, she had to come back to Minneapolis. Exactly 30 days after her arrival, she was hired as an assistant at the Department of Education at the American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side. When Museum Director George Sherwood asked what she proposed as a salary, she was stumped and finally said, "I think I would have to have $100 a month." Sherwood replied, "Well, Miss Bennett, if that is all you are worth, I am not sure I can hire you. We will pay you $125." She took over the recently founded Junior Astronomy Club, an educational group for teens, and under her stewardship it thrived. In an oral history she gave to the Society of Woman Geographers in 1994, she said, "The club, of course, had been originated not to make astronomers, but to give a wider interest and deeper horizons for youngsters... [Y]ou never can spend too much time with young people, in terms of building citizens for the future, not just in your particular interest, but in the broader appeal of life on this planet." (https://daily.jstor.org/dorothy-bennett/)
This educational item has gone through many revisions over the years, with other "editions" we've seen through at least the 1970s. Most science museums have modern plastic versions available in their gift shops as star gazing and learning never goes out of style. The mystery of who we are and our place in the universe still captures the imagination of this writer.
See Helfand below for a nice, short history of these (and similar) objects. Finding nice examples is becoming increasingly difficult.
LITERATURE:
Helfand, Jessica, "Reinventing the Wheel", Princeton Architectural Press, 2002, pp 23-28
JSTOR Daily newsletter, "The Star-Studded Life of Ms. Dorothy Bennett", by: Amy Sohn, April 6, 2016. (Inventory #: 29335)