Région Centrale (Réseau Moyen), June, 10 1887, 7h 35m 55s
Jules Janssen
French, 1824–1907
August 5, 1877-June 22, 1894
A woodburytype photograph by Jules Janssen that records the Sun’s central surface—an attempt to fix, in photographic detail, the granular, shifting texture of solar activity at a precise time.
At first glance it reads as a dark, richly textured field of tiny, cell‑like swirls and faint highlights, like a brooding, tactile skin suggesting simmering motion across the whole image.
These late‑19th‑century solar photographs are early examples of astrophotography that helped scientists observe and communicate the Sun’s surface structure and pushed photography toward scientific as well as artistic use.
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
360.2010.8
Palette
Exhibitions
