Astronomy - 06.2019

Transient treasures of word and art show that

our science has a rich and colorful past.

text and photos by Raymond Shubinski

THE PAPER

S

ay the word ephemeris
to an astronomer, and she
or he most likely will think
of a reference book like
The Astronomical Almanac,
with its lists of planetary, lunar, and solar
positions for specific dates and times.
On the other hand, the word ephemera
means something f leeting, changeable,
temporary. This word refers to paper items
that don’t last long or were meant for
short-term use but have since become col-
lectibles. Those 1977 ticket stubs from the
original Star Wars movie are ephemera.
A great deal of astronomical ephemera
exists. The material ranges from almanacs
to early 20th-century astronomy-themed
sheet music, from antique stereo cards to

became “wish you were here” greetings

with drawings and then photographs of

interesting locations. Observatories were

a favorite photographic subject.

Near the beginning of the 20th cen-

tury, Lick Observatory in California

appeared on many postcards. Some

showed drawings of the observatory at

night. A few even had holes poked out

for the stars. When held up to the light,

the “stars” seemed to twinkle in the

sky above this marvel of 19th-century

technology.

Yerkes Observatory in Lake Geneva,

Wisconsin, was also popular. Postcards

that span a century show many exterior

and a few interior views. One card in my

collection has a colorized image of the

40-inch Yerkes refractor. The message

on the back is what makes it so special:

“Dear Gary, this telescope gives me the

idea to replace the mirrors in the baggage

room.” It’s an odd response after seeing

one of the most powerful telescopes in the

world. Postcards of observatories from

playing cards depicting famous astrono-

mers. Then there are the tea and cigarette

cards, produced for nearly 100 years, that

covered how to find constellations, the

development of the telescope, spectros-

copy, space exploration, and more. A

wide range of other items has survived

the ravages of time as well.

The postcard era

Postcards appeared with the rise of

cheap and regular mail delivery. They

first became popular in the mid-19th

century in Europe, and then America.

The cards usually showed a sentimental

picture and a verse on the front, with

room for the address and a

message on the back. They also

50 ASTRONOMY • JUNE 2019