PHOTOGRAPHS OF (MODELS OF) THE MOON (1874)
I recently viewed some lunar surface photographs that were taken in 1874, almost 100 years before the Apollo Program did the same. Sensing foul play at best or conspiracy at worst, I took great joy in reading up about James Nasmyth’s lunar observations, sketched from the eyepiece and then reproduced with plaster to create the observed landscape. These vistas were then photographed using the then modern techniques in photography to create realistic images of the lunar surface. They were published in a very popular book
All images were sourced here. There’s some good info on this page and of course Wiki and the internet archive website.
Great essay on the meaning of Art in Science from the Science Museum Group Journal, referencing Nasmyth’s images in the visualising of science in the 19th century
The moon : considered as a planet, a world, and a satellite
Lunar observation sketches by James Nasmyth
