Imaging the Heavens: The Scientific and Cultural Significance of the Norman Lockyer Observatory Image Archive

The departure from the use of the human eye and hand-drawn illustration in astronomy at the end of the nineteenth century reflects not only the technological advances of the fin de siècle but a wider cultural shift towards rationalism. Public interest in science had grown in proportion to new technological capabilities, and as the human eye gave way to the photographic plates in the observatories of the late Victorian period, it appeared as if society's new-found emphasis on objectivity had changed the study of the stars irrevocably. My research questions revolve around the cultural relevance of this change in the context of late Victorian visual culture. In his 1877 book Astronomy, Norman Lockyer characterises the relationships between planets, solar systems, and galaxies by comparing them to the relationships between parishes, counties, countries, and continents. This parochial presentation of basic astronomy, embellished by hand-drawn illustration, is very different to the astral images Lockyer would be analysing and presenting from 1880 onwards. The scientific ramifications of the photographs allowed the amateur astronomer an authority over his productions. More technically sound photographic emulsions had enabled Lockyer to begin documenting a theory of stellar evolution. These otherworldly scientific images may provide an interesting avenue through which to view the amateur scientist as an important figure in the development of Victorian visual culture. In addition to the spectrum plates and astronomical images, I intend to include observation notes, Lockyer's letters, and research papers, as well as Lockyer's ephemera from the University of Exeter Archives. Cross-referencing these with other collections, such as Harvard's Photographic Plate Collection, will provide an insight into the broader historical context of fin de siècle astronomy.

Traditionally, studies in Victorian visual culture have been deeply divided by specific disciplines, and this is something I would like to challenge in my analysis of the spectrum plates. In terms of the methodology I will be employing, this will not lie in any one strand of critical theory, because the special nature of my primary sources demands a multifaceted approach. Therefore, my study of the NLO archives will bring in elements of historicism, visual analysis, and make use of the textual skills I have acquired whilst studying literature. I will examine the tension inherent in that fact that Lockyer's theories of stellar evolution were groundbreaking but flawed, and that this story of scientific discovery is told within the technology of the NLO. The physical attributes of objects in the NLO archives, such as spectrum plates, are significant to the historical aspect of the project, and have not been extensively written on. Ideally, I would like my project to take note of the continuing relevance of the NLO in the South-West as well as its significance to the scientific community in the early twentieth century. Research must be completed in the field for this project, so I will visit the NLO in Sidmouth as well as archives in Exeter.