Lot 286

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Description:

Sir J.F.W. Herschel Family Archive, 6 Pcs, 4 Generations: Documenting South African Trip, Photography, & "Orion Nebula," Etc.

A small group of documents relating to the Herschel Family, a dynasty of British astronomers whose most celebrated members included Frederick William Herschel (1738-1822), discoverer of Uranus, who mapped the constellations of the Northern Hemisphere; his sister Caroline Herschel (1750-1848), who discovered multiple comets; and Frederick's son Sir John Frederick William Herschel (1792-1871), who named the moons of Saturn and Uranus, and charted the "Southern skies." The archive, covering the period from ca. 1834 to 1920, documents four generations of the Herschel family, from Frederick William Herschel through his paternal great-grandson John Charles William Herschel (1869-1950). Six pieces total.

The lot is comprised of, in chronological order:

The three first items relate to Sir John Frederick William Herschel's trip to South Africa from 1833-1838. Undertaken with his wife, Margaret Brodie Stewart Herschel (1810-1884) and their three oldest children, Caroline, Isabella, and William, Sir J.F.W. Herschel arrived in Cape Town on January 15, 1834 via the "S.S. Mountstuart Elphinstone." During his sojourn in South Africa, Herschel would study the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere using a 20"-diameter 21-ft-high telescope that he would erect just outside of Cape Town.

1. A 1p autograph document signed by Holt Oker, Provisional Chaplain at Wynberg, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa testifying to the birth and October 19, 1834 baptism of Margaret Louisa Herschel (1834-1861), the fourth child of Sir J.F.W. and Lady Margaret Herschel. On laid watermarked paper. Expected wear including flattened folds, else near fine. 7.625" x 9.75."

2. An unnumbered partly manuscript and partly handwritten form certifying that Alexander Stewart Herschel (1836-1907), the fifth child of Sir J.F.W. and Lady Margaret Herschel, was "baptized, agreeably to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England, on Sunday the 10th Day of April 1836." The form is pre-printed "Rondebosch, Cape of Good Hope" at top (Rondebosch was a southern suburb of Cape Town.) Isolated flattened folds and at a stain at lower right, else near fine.

3. An envelope once containing the above two documents, hand-inscribed in part, "Came out of Family Bible." Wrinkled.

4. An undated manuscript of religious subject, possibly being an extrapolation of Deuteronomy 5:12: "Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy." Comprised of 14 lines. With a chipped and darkened left edge, trimmed to a completed size of 7.125" x 4.5."

5. A 4pp autograph letter signed by Sir William James Herschel (1833-1917), the eldest son and third child of Sir J.F.W. and Lady Margaret Herschel, as "W.J. Herschel" on the fourth page. [Lawn-Upton, Littlemore, Oxfordshire, England.] February 1, 1897. On bifold stationery with an embossed letterhead. With flattened paper folds and isolated foxing. The last page has been crossed out in pencil but is still legible. Else near fine. 4.5" x 6.875."

Addressed to "Fancy," his younger sister Francisca Herschel (1846-1932), Sir William wrote in part: "I have quite settled the authorship of 'the Master of the Mint' photos of J.F.W.H. [their father, Sir John Frederick William]. They were manifestly taken at the same seance as that belonging to A.S.H. [their brother, Alexander Stewart Herschel (1836-1907), also an astronomer] in his study - dress, expression of face, hair, paper, of all three agree…" Sir John Frederick William Herschel served as Master of the Mint from 1850-1855, and the siblings may have been discussing a famous photograph of their father shown holding a florin.

6. A 1p typed letter signed on "The Science Museum, / South Kensington, / London, S.W. 7" letterhead dated July 24, 1920. Addressed to the Reverend Sir John Charles William Herschel (1869-1950), the paternal great-grandson of Frederick William Herschel. In part: "I enclose for your acceptance four bromide prints - one from each of the two negatives of the portrait, and two from the best negative of the drawing of the Orion Nebula…"

Reverend Herschel's great-grandfather Frederick William Herschel had studied Orion Nebula in the 1770s. His son, Sir John Frederick William Herschel, had made several major contributions to the field of photography, including coining the term "photography" in 1839, and applying the terms "negative" and "positive" to the subject.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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