Visible Heavens
Add Custom Frame
Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details
Add Custom Frame
Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details
Add Custom Frame
Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details
Add Custom Frame
Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details
These four celestial maps illustrate the night sky as it was seen from New York City during the four quarters of the year. The woodblock prints were hand-carved by Asa Smith, the principal at Public School No. 12, who aimed to “present all the distinguishing principles in Physical Astronomy with as few words as possible”. His work, Smith’s Illustrated Astronomy, was the most popular American astronomy guide of the 19th century. Smith took nearly three years to complete all of the woodblock prints for the book, which was finally published in 1850.
Over one hundred years later, David Rumsey—map collector and president of Cartography Associates—added Smith’s book to his collection of more than 150,000 rare maps. The David Rumsey Map Collection includes maps from all over the world, dating as far back as the 16th century. Rumsey began collecting in the early 1980s and continues to this day, adding new maps to his website where they can be accessed by the public for free.
