Harvard College Observatory History in Images

This is a personal project collecting and documenting early images of Harvard College Observatory, focusing on the site at Observatory Hill (previously Summer House Hill). Buildings, instruments, people, and observations. The current focus is through about 1920, and filling out the history of the Cambridge location, and buildings. After this more emphasis will go to the people, followed by more details on instruments, and eventually, on the scientific results.

Because I'm also interested in the history of printing and image reproduction, some of the information here will emphasize that viewpoint. Basically this is my singular and ever-changing view of history, but of course this is true of every history ever written.

Disclaimer: any opinions expressed here are my own, and in no way represents the views of my employer, or anyone else. Also, I'm documenting things as I learn about them, so expect frequent errors. Corrections will occur without notice and without a changelog at this point. In many cases, what I'm writing here is basic note-taking for myself.

database of collected images

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All images plus additional timeline notes (138)
All images (but no notes) (138)
buildings (86)	people (36)	instruments (22)	observations (0)	events (7)
exteriors (42) interiors (0) neighborhood (1) construction (34) plans (12)	radcliffe (12) directors (9) men (17) computers (21) donors (5) women (24)	chrono (1) miscellaneous (0) optical (17) transit (1) magnetic (0)	spectra (0) sketches (0) photography (0)	transits (0) eclipses (0) meetings (7)
Original Observatory building (15) Director's Residence (18) Astrophotographic Library (7) West Wing (1) New Plate Stacks (0) Sears Tower (17) Astrophotographic Library Addition (22)	Williamina Fleming (11) Selina Bond (0) David Sears (1) John Lovering (0) William Cranch Bond (5) Helen Sawyer (5) Alvan Clark & Sons (2) George Phillip Bond (1) Edward C. Pickering (1) Adelaide Ames (6) Arthur Searle (0) Mabel Gill (4) Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (10) Rhoda Sunders (0) William Cranch Bond Jr. (0) Annie Jump Cannon (5) Arville Walker (5) Henrietta Swope (5) Anna Winlock (0) L. Winlock (0) Margaret Harwood (4) Edward Skinner King (1) Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1) Nettie A. Farrar (0) Joseph Winlock (1) Evelyn Leland (8) Jenka Mohr (0) Antonia Maury (6) Thomas Hollis (1) Edith Gill (3) Florence Cushman (7) Ida Woods (3) Harlow Shapley (1) Leon Campbell (6) ��tienne L��opold Trouvelot (0) Lilian Lydia Hodgdon (2) Mary Anna Palmer Draper (2)	Great Refractor (5) Great Refractor Chair (1) Draper 28-inch Reflector (12)		Observatory Pinafore (7)
all images, newest additions to the collection first (138)
untagged images (10)