La lune à un mêtre: Souvenir de'Exposition 1900, c. 1900
Unknown artist, Franceexpand_more
Lithograph printed in black and white inks on tinted yellow paper laid down on boardexpand_more
The John E. and Marion Andrus III Fund in Support of the Department of Prints and Drawingsexpand_more 2021.59
Not on Viewexpand_more
This silly man-in-the-moon face is a souvenir for visitors to La Grande Lunnette, an immense telescope that was one of the primary attractions at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. La Grande Lunnette was the centerpiece of the Palais de L'optique. 65 yards long and weighing 20 tons, the instrument projected enormous images that allowed large audiences to experience the moon as though it were within arm's reach.
It is a remarkable survivor, since the thousands that must have been distributed were probably tacked up on walls and eventually discarded in favor of other ephemeral decorations.
The marketers of the La Grande Lunnette appear to have capitalized on the success of a now classic silent comedy film, Georges Méliès's The Astronomer's Dream, which came out in 1898. The Man-in-the-Moon face of the present print resembles the moon that gave the astronomer an unexpectedly eventful encounter in the movie. If you would like to see the three and a half minute film, use this link:
Details
- Title
- La lune à un mêtre: Souvenir de'Exposition 1900
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2021.59
- Curator Approved
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