[original photograph] Old photograph of the George C. Shattuck Observatory at Dartmouth College

[no place of publication stated]: [no publisher stated], 1909. Very Good. An original mounted photograph of the George C. Shattuck Observatory at Dartmouth College. Mount is approx 11 x 14 inches. Photograph is 7 1/8 x 9 inches. Inked below the image in a modern felt tipped pen (argh...) is "Shattuck Observatory 1854". On rear is a pencilled note indicating who donated this image (their name and address in Norwich VT).

The image is in very good condition, with one scratch by the wind pole on the left and a few surface abrasions. The mount is lightly soiled overall with wear/mild creasing at the corners. A nice early photograph suitable for (truncated) framing. Boston physician George C Shattuck (Dartmouth Class of 1803) donated $7,000 to build the observatory with a stipulation that the College supply an additional $4,000. The observatory was finished in 1854 and has been an integral and important part of scientific progress at Dartmouth since.

"Ira Young, class of 1823, joined the College faculty in 1833, he began to acquire the specialized equipment he needed to teach astronomy. When Young received an appointment as professor of astronomy in 1838, he approached the trustees with another request for astronomical tools. They approved, and Young used these instruments to furnish his new lab in Reed Hall. (Thanks in great part to Ira Young, the College owns one of the oldest and largest collections of historic scientific instrument in the country.) Eight years later, he received approval to purchase a German-manufactured 6-foot refracting telescope, but once it arrived Young realized there was no suitable place to mount it. As an interim solution, trustees authorized Young to build a two-room structure in the garden of his house to hold the telescope. Acquisition of the telescope drew so much student interest in astronomy, that Young again appealed to the trustees for funds to erect a new permanent observatory where the telescope could be correctly installed and used." (Dartmouth online history). (Inventory #: 29570)