A low viewpoint across an open grassy slope gives the observatory a clear outline against the sky. Its circular, two-story central tower carries a hemispherical dome, with lower gabled wings extending to either side. Shuttered windows, pale window surrounds, and a chimney behind the right wing remain distinct. An evergreen stands at the left; a small leafless tree rises beyond the opposite end of the building.
This is Shattuck Observatory at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The owner’s records document a related Civil War-era carte de visite of Dartmouth Row by Nathaniel C. Sanborn, establishing his work on that campus.
The warm-toned photograph is mounted horizontally on cream card. A clear backmark, printed sideways on the reverse, reads: “N. C. SANBORN, / PHOTOGRAPHER, / No. 50 Merrimac Street, / LOWELL, MASS.”
- Medium
- CDV
- Subject
- Outdoor Scene
- Dimensions
- 4.23 × 2.43 in (107.5 × 61.8 mm)
- Condition
- Print lightly yellowed, with scattered small dark spots most noticeable in the sky and fine pale scuffs over the left evergreen and in the right-hand sky. Mount lightly toned and spotted, with yellow-brown discoloration around the reverse edges and minor edge and corner wear. Architectural detail remains clear.
- Catalogue no.
- MCDV920
Catalogue details
Location
Shattuck Observatory, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire · Hanover, New Hampshire, United States
Photographed subject · Exact site · 90% confidence
Building form (domed two-story tower, gabled wings) matches Shattuck Observatory, built 1854 at Dartmouth College, Hanover NH; photographer N. C. Sanborn of Lowell, Mass. is documented photographing the Dartmouth campus. Coordinates from the observatory's published record (43°42′18″N 72°17′07″W).
Source: Building identification + published coordinates
