Women in Glass: Women at the Harvard Observatory during the Era of Astronomical Glass Plate Photography, 1875–1975

Abstract

Starting in the late 19th century, the Harvard Observatory hired women to study stars via the Astronomical Photographic Glass Plate Collection. Some of these women—such as Annie Jump Cannon, Henrietta Leavitt, and Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin—made discoveries that changed astrophysics forever. However, they were far from the only women working at the Harvard Observatory during the era of astronomical glass plate photography. Historically, most of these women have been anonymous. The names found on over 400,000 glass plate envelopes were compiled into a list of all the women who left their mark on the collection between 1875 and 1975. Through this list of names, it is revealed that Harvard’s glass plate collection acted as a haven for women who wanted to study the stars, long before they found equality in the field of astronomy.