This is a bit of a tangent, as it shows the Paris Observatory, but there is a rather intriguing link, as the Paris one came first - it was suggested in 1667 and built by the early 1670s. So perhaps the need for a British Astronomer Royal came more from royal chit chat, and a desire to copy the French, than from Charles II`s sudden interest in astronomy.
You can find this set with a very blue back, like our card, or with a grey one, as you can see with our Card of the Day for the 21st of August 2025. Some collectors think that the blue of our version has simply faded to grey, but I do not think so now I have seen the grey, this blue is so very deep and striking; I think it would need something akin to bleach to render it that grey, and then you would not get such an even fading.
It seems more likely that the set was issued twice - and that could also explain the fact that the date seems to always be quoted as 1900 - 1910, as perhaps one of these versions was issued in 1900 and the other in 1910, and what was at first recorded as two separate years has been replaced by a hyphen linking a decade together.
The set consists of twelve cards, which are :
- La Comete
- Les Saisons - Le Solstice d`Ete
- Eclatement d`un Bolide
- La Fata Morgana (Mirage)
- L`Aurore Boreale
- L`Eclipse de Lune
- Les Phases de la Lune
- Les Saisons - Solstice d`Hiver
- Le Systeme Planetaire
- Eclipse Totale de Soleil
- L`Etoile Polaire
- Le Grand Telescope de l`Observatoire de Paris