Description
In a contemporary advertisement for the offered model of the Constellation Finder, referred to there as a “star chart,” its use is described as follows: “This new astronomical instrument is based on the principle of the equatorial telescope mounting—an arrow takes the place of the telescope. … Place the arrow wherever you wish, and it will be pointing, when properly set, at the star-group shown and named in the opening of the indicator below.” At the time of issuance, the instrument was accompanied by an instruction manual covering star maps and basic facts, enabling the user to study important celestial phenomena with ease. Promoting its use as one of the first at home tools for science, the advertisement lists various teaching functions of the instrument: “…the apparent daily rotation of the whole sky; where stars, sun, moon and planets rise and set, and the actual path taken by them; the seasons, movement of sun north and south and path of solstices and equinoxes; the constellations—locations and names; sidereal and solar time; right ascension and declination; etc., etc., etc.”
Charles J. Kullmer’s research papers are now inventoried at the Syracuse University Archives as The Charles J. Kullmer Papers. The University provides the following biography:
Charles J. Kullmer was a professor of German at Syracuse University from 1905 to 1942, as well as a scientist recognized for his invention of the Kullmer Constellation Finder and for his research on weather systems.
Charles J. Kullmer was born on March 5, 1879, in Sedalia, Missouri. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was seven, and they moved again to Montana when he was about to enter high school. Kullmer received his A.B. degree from Harvard in 1900, and then his Ph.D. from Tubingen University in Heidelberg, Germany in 1901. Between 1901 and 1905, he taught at Harvard-Radcliffe and the University of Indiana. Kullmer was welcomed to Syracuse University in 1905 as an assistant professor and taught for thirty-seven years until his death in 1942.
During his time as a professor, he frequently visited Germany to write about the country’s history, geography and culture. In 1907, he published an essay called Possneck and Herman and Dorothea, in which he argued that the city of Possneck inspired a scene from Goethe’s famous epic. In 1912, he published A Sketch Map of Germany, and in 1914, published France, A French Composition Book with Sketch Maps. He was chosen by the German Societies of Syracuse to give the main address for the hundredth anniversary of Goethe’s death in 1932.
Kullmer also worked independently as a scientist and made lasting contributions to the field of astronomy. He invented the Kullmer Constellation Finder, an instrument that allowed anyone to easily track the position of celestial bodies. His research on weather systems, titled “The Latitude Shift of the Storm Track in the Eleven-year Solar Period,” was published by the Smithsonian Institute in 1915.
Full text of cartouche: KULLMER CONSTELLATION FINDER / COPYRIGHT 1910 PATENT PENDING” and “C. J. KULLMER / SYRACUSE, N.Y.”
Condition: The paper volvelle cards generally very good with the usual light overall toning, wear, handling, exhibiting also a slight warping of the paper. Scattered oxidation and tarnish to metal stand commensurate with age and use.
References
Carter, Tim. “Charles Julius Kullmer Papers: An Inventory of His Papers at the Syracuse University Archives.” Syracuse University: Special Collections Research Center. 2016. library.syracuse.edu/digital/guides_sua/html/sua_kullmer_cj_prt.htm (30 September, 2024).
“Equatorial Star Finder.” Smithsonian Institution National Museum of History Online Collection. https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/nmah_1817925 (30 September 2024).
