Planisphere
George Philip and Son
Category
Education objects
Date
circa 1924
Materials
Cardboard, paper, leather and metal
Measurements
221 mm (width); 257 mm (diameter)
Place of origin
The London Geographical Institute, Fleet Street, 32
Collection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 669794
Summary
A planisphere. The base consists of a square piece of thick cardboard onto which is fixed a round, dark brown, leather disc with an oval opening and gilt (faded) figures around the edge representing clock time. The words 'Philip's Planisphere Showing The Principal Stars Visible For Every Hour In The Year' are printed in gilt beneath the oval opening of the leather disc. In between the base and leather disc is a movable cardboard disc on which are marked, around the edge, the months of the year, hours and degrees. The beige-coloured constellations are marked in the centre of the dark blue, paper-covered, cardboard disc. A brown metal rivet is stamped through the top corner of the leather disc. An 'Explanation' of the planisphere and 'A Selection of Philips' Popular Astronomical Aids' are printed on the back. Figures in red ink 'N','S','E'and 'W' are handwritten in each corner. 'Pt. Linas 17 Aug.' is also handwritten in black ink down one side, also on the back.
Provenance
'Derbyshire Museum Service History of Education Collection' - a collection established by Derbyshire Museum Service (through gifts from individuals, Derbyshire schools and purchases) in the 1940s and stored at Sudbury Hall from the early 1970s to 2012. The National Trust managed the collection between 1991 and 2012 when legal ownership was transferred from Derbyshire County Council to the National Trust. Archival records information - "The collection was established as a result of isolated gifts in the 1940's, and the 'savings' of certain school records (now passed to County Records) during wartime paper salvage." "During the 1950s it was L.E.A. practice to hold an Easter Course for teachers, and the County (Derbyshire) Museum arranged a special exhibition for teach course. As by the mid 1950s quite a collection had already accumulated, it was decided to produce an exhibition on the history of education with special reference to Derbyshire. Consequently, further material was purchased, from which items were selected. The exhibition was subsequently shown at a number of centres, and after disbandment, additions continued to be made with the aim of eventually producing a reconstructed classroom as a base for research. The Derby Bishop Lonsdale College of Education has frequently made use of the collection in various ways."
Makers and roles
George Philip and Son , maker