Photography Collections Database

Record Detail

There are more than five million objects in the Harry Ransom Center's Photography Collection. Many records contain legacy descriptions. A review and update of our records is ongoing.

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Call Number:

PH-00300

Collection Name:

Teneriffe: An Astronomer’s Experiment, or Specialities of a Residence above the Clouds

Creator:

Melhuish, Arthur James ( - d. 1895)

Smyth, C. Piazzi (Charles Piazzi), 1819-1900 (1819 - 1900)

No. of Items:

40 items

Span Dates:

1858

Description:

Two copies of Teneriffe: An Astronomer’s Experiment, or Specialities of a Residence above the Clouds (London: Lovell Reeve, 1858) by C. Piazzi (Charles Piazzi) Smyth (British, 1819-1900). Each copy contains 20 stereographs of images taken by Smyth. The photographs were printed by A.J. Melhuish under the superintendence of James Glaisher. Helmut Gernsheim notes in his Incunabula, “Photographs by the author depicting local flora, fauna, and members of the expedition. This is the first book ever illustrated with stereoscopic photographs.” Plate titles follow.

964:0950:0001 -- Culminating point of the peak of Teneriffe;
964:0950:0002 -- Volcanic “blowing cone” in rotava, on the northern coast of Teneriffe;
964:0950:0003 -- Peak of Teneriffe from Orotava;
964:0950:0004 -- Tent scene of Mount Guajara;
964:0950:0005 -- Sheepshanks telescope first erected on Mount Guajara;
964:0950:0006 -- Cliff and floor of the great crater;
964:0950:0007 -- Second mate of yacht observing radiation thermometers on Mount Guajara;
964:0950:0008 -- Trachyte blocks on Guajara;
964:0950:0009 -- Masses of lava slag at Alta Vista;
964:0950:0010 -- Specimen of the malpays of black lava, near Alta Vista;
964:0950:0011 -- Close view of Alta Vista observing station from the east;
964:0950:0012 -- Alta Vista observatory, from the northern lava ridge;
964:0950:0013 -- Entrance to the ice cavern;
964:0950:0014 -- Euphorbia Canariensis on the sea coast of Orotava;
964:0950:0015 -- Young dragon-trees and date palm in a cactus garden near Orotava;
964:0950:0016 -- Young dragon-trees (dracoena draco) near Orotava;
964:0950:0017 -- Dragon-tree walk near a palazzo near Orotava;
964:0950:0018 -- Cochineal gatherers at Orotava;
964:0950:0019 -- The “Great Dragon-tree” at the Villa de Orotava;
964:0950:0020 -- Trunk of the Great Dragon-tree.

Accession No(s):

964:0950:0001-0020; Gernsheim Collection; inscribed: Lovelace, Dec. 2, 1859; inscribed: H. Kendra Baker, 7/7/32 followed by ms. note: from Earl of Lovelace's Library;

Location(s):

DP 302 C49 S6 HRC-P cop.1 (964:0950:0001-0020)
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DP 302 C49 S6 HRC-P cop.2 (964:0168:0001-0020)
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