Photograph (Salted Paper Print) of the Cape of Good Hope Observatory, by Charles Piazzi Smyth, 1843

In MS Gunther 36, between ff.114 and 115, Hartwell House astronomical scrapbook, volume 2. It is a superior view of the same group of buildings shown in the companion photograph on f.113 captioned 'New buildings ...' (and probably also the completely decayed photograph on p.110 bottom). It shows a shed with verandah right, a larger building with trellis verandah left, a tower-like building centre, and a small pyramid-roofed instrument shelter left of centre, with a pointed mountain in the background. The magnetic observatory was newly built in 1842, and represented a programme of magnetical observations promoted by Sir John Herschel. Pale sepia, but good clear image. Mounted on a piece of light card or stiff paper, cream in colour, with framing lines drawn in ink. The photograph itself has part of a Whatman watermark; and Smyth's caption is written on the mount. The mounting and position, and the fact that it repeats one of the earlier views, suggest that this one was added to the group slightly later. One of five good and two decayed photographs contributed by Smyth to John Lee's astronomical scrapbooks. They are the earliest known photographs to have been taken in South Africa.

For fuller descriptive and historical commentary see narratives.