Portrait of Caroline Herschel
Georg Busse (1810-1868)
Hannover, Germany, 1847
Chine collé etching
WOP-144

Caroline Herschel was responsible for finding more comets than any women prior to Carolyn Shoemaker. She discovered eight comets during the years 1786-1797 and earned a reputation for herself as an astronomer; she also published a much needed index to the star catalog of astronomer John Flamsteed (also in this exhibition). In this portrait, Herschel is pointing to a diagram of the solar system featuring the orbits of comets. Herschel is one of the first prominent female astronomers and was one of two women to receive honorary memberships in the Royal Astronomical Society in 1835.