36-inch reflector, Lick Observatory, Mount Hamilton, California, circa 1910
- Subject
- Interiors
- Card type
- Linen
- Date
- c. 1901 (Early)
About this postcard
The photograph shows the long tube and clockwork mounting of the 36-inch Crossley Reflector inside its dome at Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, with riveted dome ribs arching overhead and an observing ladder at the base. The caption identifies the instrument as the 36-inch reflector at Lick Observatory, Mount Hamilton, near San Jose. The Crossley Reflector was a reflecting telescope acquired from British amateur astronomer Edward Crossley in the 1890s; Lick's separate 36-inch Great Refractor was the instrument that first made the observatory famous. Funded by a bequest from San Francisco businessman James Lick, the observatory opened in 1888 as the first permanently occupied mountaintop observatory and remained part of the University of California.
Postcard Details
No address detected
Postcard record
| Publisher | Pacific Novelty Co. |
|---|---|
| Series | 6102 |
| Condition | Very good |
| Place depicted | Lick Observatory, San Jose, CA |
| Place mentioned | San Jose, CA |
| Publisher | Pacific Novelty Co., San Francisco, CA |
| Notes | White border; visible halftone/linen texture; printed card number 6102 at lower right. No postmark — card is unused and blank. Undivided back ("POST CARD" / "ADDRESS" only, no dividing line) with a stamp box reading ONE CENT for United States and Island Possessions, Cuba, Canada and Mexico / TWO CENTS for foreign — circa 1901–1907 private stock. Blue imprint of Pacific Novelty Co. (bear "PNC" emblem) running vertically. Light soiling and faint edge wear; no tears. |
Cite this card
36-inch reflector, Lick Observatory, Mount Hamilton, California, circa 1910, postcard, c. 1901. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/36-inch-reflector-lick-observatory-mount-hamilton-california. Accessed November 3, 2026.