The Great Moon Hoax of 1835: How Scientific Prints Prompted Social Criticism in the Romantic Era Tia N. Kuhns Faculty mentor: Leisa Rundquist University of North Carolina at Asheville
The lithographs that accompanied the Great Astronomical Discoveries Lately Made By Sir John Herschel, L.L.D, F.R.S, &c. At The Cape of Good Hope, which appeared via The New York Sun newspaper between August 26th and 31st of 1835, captivated public attention, resulting in a mass journalistic sensation. The intentional artistic style, densely layered composition, and inclusion of tropical vegetation in the illustrations added to the prestige and believability of the depicted hoax. Further, the prints serve as an allegory for social and political issues of the time, such as the movement to abolish slavery in the United States, and the relationships between European colonial powers and indigenous peoples. Through comparison of The Sun’s original lithographs with past landscapes, like the satirical garden paintings of Watteau, and contemporary scientific exploration imagery of Latin America, the paper establishes the role of these images as a social lens.
Tia Kuhns was born in Burlington, North Carolina. She is currently a candidate for a BFA in printmaking at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, with plans to pursue an MFA after graduating in Fall of 2019.
