The exhibition ‘149: Watching Time Take Form’ (reported elsewhere in this issue) featured both works inspired by material from the College’s Archives collection and collection objects themselves.

One of Aniss Fakhri’s works, Kaleidoscope, used images from one of the gems of our collection, a set of astronomical lantern slides dating from 1866. The lantern slides belonged to Rev Dr James Egan Moulton, who served as Newington’s first ‘Head Master’ in 1863 and as President from 1893 to 1900. He served as a Wesleyan missionary in Tonga from 1865 to 1888, establishing Tupou College under the patronage of the King. We know that he taught astronomy while in Tonga and it is almost certain that he used these lantern slides for this purpose.

24 of the original 38 slides have survived, along with their sturdy box and an accompanying booklet. The slides are hand painted and each is set in a mahogany panel. Subjects include the planets, the phases of the moon, comets, constellations, eclipses, the tides, and the Ptolemaic, Pythagorean and Newtonian Systems.

The slides, along with a slide show of their digitised images, are on display in the Chaplain Peter Swain Exhibition Room, on the top floor of the Founders Wing and open from 2-4pm each weekday and at other times by arrangement.

 David Roberts
College Archivist