Penguin Products
The Tiny Planetarium
Penguin Products, Chicago: 1931 (copyright)
Greenville Manufacturing Co., 360 E. Grand Ave., Chicago (manufacturer & distributor)
Color printed glazed cardstock rectangular box
Stepped wooden base in original silver paint
enclosing a compass
13 x 8 x 4.5 inches, overall
Sold, please inquire as to availability of similar items.
The Tiny Planetarium
Desk-sized Constellation Star Finder
Desk-sized Constellation Star Finder
This item is sold. It has been placed here in our online archives as a service for researchers and collectors.
- Please inquire as to the availability of similar items currently in stock, or use the navigation bar above to browse our site for currently available items.
- Find guidelines for the use of images from georgeglazer.com.
- To see more archived items, view our directory.
- Find information about selling your art and antiques.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Educational toy planetarium in the Art Deco style, consisting of a narrow box mounted to a silvered stepped wooden base enclosing a compass. On the front of the box is a circular revolving map of constellations against a blue sky, with small holes indicating the stars, within a stationary circular yellow dial, indicating months of the year. By turning a knob on the back, the map can be aligned with the dial to show the stars’ positions in the sky at various times of day in the month indicated. A hole in the center of the knob also allows for a flashlight bulb to be inserted in order to illuminate the pinhole stars in the constellations when viewed from the front. A small chart below the turning constellation disk provides images and information of ten cosmic phenomena such as Halley’s Comet, the Aurora Borealis, and meteors. The signs of the zodiac, along with the characteristics associated with them, decorate the three sides of the planetarium. On the back are instructions on “How to Locate Star Groups; Any Hour, Any Day,” and illustrations of “Constellations of the Ancient Zodiac” with a short historical account of the origin of their symbolism.