Records of Henry Draper,
1863-1885
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Henry Draper (1837-1882) followed in the footsteps of his famous father. He studied medicine and had a passion for astronomical photography. Henry, shown here in an 1885 photograph, built two observatories at the family home in Hastings in 1860 and 1869. The second observatory, which can be seen in the ca. 1880 photograph, was built adjoining the first in order to house a new, larger telescope. Part of the building was destroyed by fire in 1905, but the remainder became a residence and is now the home of the Hastings Historical Society.
His father, John William Draper, took the first daguerreotypes of the moon in the winter of 1839-1840. In 1863 Henry took a series of photographs of the moon that were larger (50 inches in diameter) and far more detailed than any taken previously. His moon photograph can be seen here, along with his spectroscope of the sun, taken in 1876 and enlarged by making an artotype print ca. 1880. The legend attached to the photo contains the proof that there is oxygen in the sun.