Solar System, 1850-60 (lithograph, cotton, brass)

Creator: Working Men's Educational Union A coloured cotton wall hanging, showing the solar system with the planetary orbits, including Neptune, discovered in 1846, and that of two comets. A line and several small dots indicate the various asteroids, or minor planets, between Mars and Jupiter. Each planet is shown with the moons that had been discovered to date. At each corner is a brass eyelet from which to hang the piece. This is one of nine wall hangings now in the NMM, all on astronomical themes, which were produced by the Working Men's Educational Union. They were printed lithographically on cotton, probably to avoid paper duty. The hangings would have been used in lectures, held at various locations, to illustrate the latest advances in knowledge. The Working Men's Educational Union was a philanthropic society that aimed to provide education to the working classes.