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Book Synopsis
The astronomer’s observing chair as both image and object, and the story it tells about a particular kind of science and a particular view of history.

The astronomer’s chair is a leitmotif in the history of astronomy, appearing in hundreds of drawings, prints, and photographs from a variety of sources. Nineteenth-century stargazers in particular seemed eager to display their observing chairs—task-specific, often mechanically adjustable observatory furniture designed for use in conjunction with telescopes. But what message did they mean to send with these images? In The Astronomer’s Chair, Omar W. Nasim considers these specialized chairs as both image and object, offering an original framework for linking visual and material cultures. Observing chairs, Nasim ingeniously argues, showcased and embodied forms of scientific labor, personae, and bodily practice that appealed to bourgeois sensibilities. 

Viewing image and object as con

The Astronomers Chair A Visual and Cultural

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    A Paperback / softback by Omar W. Nasim

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      Publisher: MIT Press Ltd
      Publication Date: Publication Date: 21/09/2021
      ISBN13: 9780262045537, 978-0262045537
      ISBN10: 0262045532

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      The astronomer’s observing chair as both image and object, and the story it tells about a particular kind of science and a particular view of history.

      The astronomer’s chair is a leitmotif in the history of astronomy, appearing in hundreds of drawings, prints, and photographs from a variety of sources. Nineteenth-century stargazers in particular seemed eager to display their observing chairs—task-specific, often mechanically adjustable observatory furniture designed for use in conjunction with telescopes. But what message did they mean to send with these images? In The Astronomer’s Chair, Omar W. Nasim considers these specialized chairs as both image and object, offering an original framework for linking visual and material cultures. Observing chairs, Nasim ingeniously argues, showcased and embodied forms of scientific labor, personae, and bodily practice that appealed to bourgeois sensibilities. 

      Viewing image and object as con

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