Cambridge As individuals attempt to capture the stunning colours of the Northern Lights on their smartphones, recent sightings of the phenomenon in southern Britain have taken over our timelines in recent weeks.
The Polar Museum is currently presenting a new free exhibition that features the work of Danish schoolteacher and self-taught scientist Sophus Peter Tromholt (1851–1896), allowing visitors to witness breathtaking early attempts to record the natural phenomena.
Tromholt relocated from Denmark to Norway in 1875. He authored numerous articles and schoolbooks there, gave astronomical lectures, taught at a school, and even produced two pieces of music. But his primary fascination was always the northern lights.
He aimed to measure their altitude in the atmosphere and photograph them. His findings were published in the book Under the Rays of the Aurora Borealis in 1885.
Tromholt lived with the Sámi of Kautokeino in northern Norway for a year in 1882–1883 during the inaugural International Polar Year.
Because photographic plates were not sensitive enough at the time, he was unable to capture images of the northern lights. Rather, he decided to take pictures of the local Sámi population, and he rose to fame for his reverent photos of named Sámi people, which were groundbreaking at the time.
Tromholt’s sketches of the heavens over Kautokeino, which were first created to go with his newspaper articles and serve as illustrations for his book, were discovered by guest curator and artist Dr. Christine Finn in Tromholt’s prints of Sámi people and landscapes at the University of Bergen Library.
Dr. Christine Finn, the artist and guest curator, stated: “The original glass negatives that were archived in Bergen were used to make these images.
Knots and all, the wooden surface against which Tromholt took the photographs is apparent. The figures that indicate time or duration—likely in his own hand—are also left for context.
As the Aurora evolves from Tromholt’s eye to brush and pen markings, glass plate negative, digital file, and finally a print on fine art photographic paper, these traces are a part of its “archaeology.”
“Whether he started with sketch books or even coloured the pieces is unknown to us. We can only hope that additional proof will surface in the future.
These enormous, breathtaking prints, which include Tromholt’s self-portrait in his outdoor studio, will be on exhibit at the Polar Museum.
He is pictured looking at the camera while wearing Sámi attire, surrounded by new timber building and scientific equipment. It’s possible that some of the people who dubbed him the “Star Man” were looking at him.
Present-day Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia are home to the Sámi people. They have historically relied on hunting, fishing, and reindeer farming for their livelihood. Some Sámi people currently reside outside of the Sápmi, the traditional Sámi homeland.
There are numerous specimens of Sámi art, clothing, and objects in the Polar Museum, some of which will be on display in the next show.
An excerpt from Sophus Tromholt’s descriptions of auroras from Under the Rays of the Aurora Borealis has been recorded by Michael Maloney, the top British stage and screen actor who is presently touring the UK in his roles as Hercule Poirot in Lucy Bailey and Ken Ludwig’s version of Murder on the Orient Express. In the exhibit, visitors will be able to listen to this through headphones.
“The history of the Aurora Borealis and its representation is fascinating,” stated Prof. Richard Powell, Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute. It gives us great pleasure to present this timely and inventive exhibition at the Institute.
“This exhibition brings this fascinating story to life some 140 years later by combining the history of science and photography with Dr. Finn’s artistic processes,” stated Dr. David Waterhouse, Curator of the Polar Museum.
“Many of us may identify with the challenges of Aurora photography, as the northern lights are now visible throughout the United Kingdom due to a recent surge in solar activity. Tromholt was a trailblazer in the field, travelling to the Arctic Circle to see and document them. What better timing for an exhibition focused on the Aurora?”
