Région Centrale (Petit Réseau), September 5, 1879, 8h 33m 50s
Jules Janssen
French, 1824–1907
August 5, 1877-June 22, 1894
A woodburytype by Jules Janssen intended to record the Sun’s central region during a specific 1879 observation, turning a transient solar phenomenon into a permanent photographic record.
The picture reads as an expansive, velvet‑gray field of fine, felt‑like grain with a subtly lighter center and tiny pinprick highlights that reveal delicate tonal variations on close viewing.
This work exemplifies Janssen’s pioneering use of photographic processes to capture fleeting celestial events, a development that helped shift astronomy from hand‑drawn sketches to reproducible, image‑based science.
Medium
woodburytype
Dimensions
21 1/8 × 17 9/16" (53.7 × 44.6 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Horace W. Goldsmith Fund through Robert B. Menschel
Accession
360.2010.7
Palette
Exhibitions
