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Howard Grubb 1868 photo of the moon

Posted by Julian Holland on April 12, 2026 at 5:07

In 1868, Howard Grubb, the Dublin telescope maker, set up the large reflecting telescope destined for Melbourne (the Great Melbourne Telescope) to test its functions.  As part of this he took photographs of the moon said to exceed any taken by other instruments in Britain.  In 1869, Grubb arranged with Pumphrey Brothers of Birmingham to retail one of these photographs.  I am hoping to identify an example of this photograph.  More generally, I would be interested to know of other photoraphs issued by Pumphrey Brothers of a scientific nature.

For those who missed my previous inquiry about Charles Frederick Ravis (1815-1876), I am still interested to discover examples of his photographs.

Thanking you for your attention

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Replies

  • Alan Hodgson April 27, 2026 16:03

    Hi Julian. In 2024 I made a visit to the Melbourne observatory and met with members of the Astronomical Society of Victoria who are rebuilding the Great Melbourne Telescope. They have quite a collection there. Do you think it is possible that some of these images ended up with the telescope?

    Cheers,

    Alan

    • Julian Holland > Alan Hodgson April 28, 2026 7:36

      Hi Alan  Thanks for your thought.  I have the impression from answers to a query on another list that there is no copy of the photo I am after with the GMT in Melbourne.  Perhaps there is a copy lurking among the papers of a 19th century astronomer. - Regards - Julian

  • Lissa Mitchell April 20, 2026 22:13

    Hello, not as early but there are 3 photographs - The moon, Great Melbourne Telescope, 4 April 1873 - held in Te Papa's collection: <https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/361705?page=1&rtp=1&a...

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    • Julian Holland > Lissa Mitchell April 21, 2026 7:58

      Thanks, Lissa

      Those are very impressive photographs, and I'm pleased to know about them.  But they are not what I am looking for.  I am looking for a photograph as a physical commercial object.  The photograph taken by Howard Grubb was registered for copyright in January 1869 (COPY/1/15/35) by agreement between Grubb and Messrs Pumphrey Brothers of Birmingham.  My interest is in Pumphrey Brothers and their scientific connections.  These Pumphreys were younger brothers of William Pumphrey (1817-1905), commercial photographer in York from 1849 for several years.  William Pumphrey's father-in-law, Thomas Allis, had a particular interest in birds and bird osteology. In 1872 Allis read a paper on the skeleton of a kiwi to the Linnean Society of London.  He articulated this skeleton and also one of the extinct moa (giant flightless bird of New Zealand).

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