Interpretation
Few things have inspired as many myths and mysteries as the moon. Before the lunar landings, our knowledge of the moon was derived from what we could see and interpret with our eyes and through telescopes. In early astrophotography, long exposure times necessitated clockwork-driven camera mounts to track a celestial orb as it moved through the sky. Rutherfurd’s lunar views—enlarged, through great effort, from smaller camera plates—defined the state of the art in the 1860s and earned international fame when they were exhibited at the 1867 Universal Exposition in Paris.
Information
- Title
- The Moon, New York, January 8, 1865
- Object Number
- 2012-50
- Medium
- Albumen print
- Dates
- January 8, 1865
- Dimensions
- 54.6 × 43.5 cm (21 1/2 × 17 1/8 in.) mount: 71.1 x 55.9 cm. (28 x 22 in.) mat: 71.1 x 61 cm. (28 x 24 in.)
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase, bequest of John W. H. Simpson, Class of 1966, in memory of Wellington Hope Simpson, Class of 1931
- Culture
- American
- Place made
- North America, United States
- Inscriptions
- Signed and titled in white on print, lower left: Lewis M. Rutherford / New York Jan. 8, 1865
- Techniques
- Encounters: Conflict, Dialogue, Discovery, Princeton University Art Museum (July 14– September 23, 2012)
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