Lewis Morris Rutherfurd photographs, 1850s-1870s

Collection context

Creator:
Rutherfurd, Lewis Morris, 1816-1892
Extent:
808 glass plate negatives (40 original wooden boxes) and 10 photographs (One half-manuscript box, one mapcase drawer)
Language:
English .
Scope and content:

808 glass-plate negatives and ten black-and-white telescopic photographic prints of astronomical subjects.

Biographical / historical:

Lewis Morris Rutherfurd (1816-1892) was born in Morrisania, New York. His great grandfather, Lewis Morris, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Rutherfurd enrolled at Williams College at the age of fifteen, where he studied chemistry and physics. After graduation, Rutherfurd studied law under William H. Seward and was admitted to the bar in 1837. He practiced law for several years before giving it up in 1849, due to his wife's poor health. For the next seven years, Rutherfurd and his family lived in Europe. In 1856, Rutherfurd returned to New York and built an observatory where he began working with astronomical photography and spectroscopy. He worked for years on converting the telescope into a photographic instrument and succeeded in 1868.

Rutherfurd was a trustee of Columbia University for twenty-six years (1858-1884). He was instrumental in the establishment of the School of Mines, and later, in the departments of Geodesy and Practical Astronomy in 1881. In 1883, Rutherfurd made a gift of his observatory instruments to the University, and seven years later, he gave Columbia his collection of glass-plate negatives and twenty folio volumes of plate measurements.

Rutherfurd was one of the original members named in the act of Congress that created the National Academy of Sciences in 1863. He was elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1857, and was made a fellow in 1875. He was the member of several associations, including the Royal Astronomical Society. Lewis Morris Rutherfurd died on May 30, 1892.

The observatory located on top of Pupin Hall is named after Rutherfurd. There is also a professorship in Rutherfurd's name. John K. Rees, Harold Jacoby, Jan Schilt, Charles Lane Poor and Samuel Alfred Mitchell are some of those instructors who have held the Rutherfurd Professorship.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Series I, Glass Plate Negatives, is CLOSED pending conservation and digitization. Series II has no restrictions. kws 02-28-2023

This collection is located on-site.

Terms of access:

Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred citation:

Identification of specific item; date (if known); Lewis Morris Rutherfurd Photographs, University Archives, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Location of this collection:
6th Floor East Butler Library
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027, USA
Before you visit:
Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.
Contact:
uarchives@columbia.edu