ABOUT THIS COLLECTION  
These chromolithographed plates after the artist's original pastel drawings were printed and published by Charles Scribner's Sons in 1881 under the supervision of the artist.  Astronomers at Harvard University were impressed with his work and invited him to join their staff, where he had access to U.S. Naval Observatory’s 26-inch refractor, the use of  which allowed him to make hundreds of celestial drawings, mostly for the scientific community, observatories and libraries. Trouvelot published more than 50 scientific papers in his lifetime, but remains best known for his exquisite astronomical illustrations, which were considered the most accurate pictures of celestial objects available until the perfection of dry-plate photography.
 
COLLECTION DETAILS
Series title: The Trouvelot astronomical drawings: Atlas
Series size: 8 artworks
Edition: Limited edition of 1000
Proof of Ownership: Certification on the Ethereum blockchain under the ERC1155 protocol. Each artwork is delivered privately and directly to collectors as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that guarrante proof of ownership.
Format: Pieces consist of PNG files sized 2160x3840 pixels - 150 dpi.
Medium: Scientific Illustration
Artwork materials:  Illustration paper, still image, chromolithographs
Contract Address: 0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e
ID: 2749212597480566...
 
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Trouvelot was an artist who became interested in astronomy after observing and sketching auroras in the 1870's. To create these drawings, he placed a gridded reticle etched in glass onto the eyepiece of the telescope, so that the telescopic image would appear projected onto the reticle. He would then copy the projection onto a sheet of ruled paper, using the corresponding squares to ensure the accuracy of the drawing. As he wrote, his goal was not only accuracy in the details, however, but “to preserve the natural elegance and the delicate outlines peculiar to the objects depicted.” Of the thousands of astronomical observations he recorded by hand, these pastel drawings created over a period of two years in the early 1870s are the most remarkable.
 
COLLECTION CREDITS
Historical curatorship: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
Artwork: Étienne Léopold Trouvelot
Year of original publication: 1881 - 1882
Post-production: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
Digital art supervisor: Marie-Lou Desmeules
Editorial: Braden Phillips
Historical research: Evangelos Rosios, Braden Phillips
Executive production: Victor Zabrockis
 
RIGHTS OVERVIEW
Source of artwork: New York Public Library
Underlying work rights: PD Worldwide
Digital copyrights: No Additional Rights