Richard Anthony Proctor was the leading
popularizer of astronomy of the Victorian era. His influence is
still felt today. Proctor’s star atlases were the
forerunners of Norton’s, and the spirit of his Half Hours with the Stars
lives on in The Monthly Sky Guide. In 1881 Proctor founded the science magazine Knowledge, which he
edited for several years, and as a result can be considered a
pioneer of popular science writing. Subsequently he moved to
the United States, having married an American woman. A daughter
by his first marriage, Mary Proctor (1862–1957), also
wrote popular works on astronomy.
For obituaries of Proctor see Monthly Notices of the
Royal Astronomical Society, vol.
49, p. 164 (1889) and The Observatory, vol. 11, p. 366 (1888). For a splendid review of Proctor’s influence in
the USA, see American Studies International, vol. 37, p. 34 (1999 February).
This caricature of him is by Spy (Leslie
Ward), the most famous of the Vanity
Fair artists – so much so that
the whole genre is often referred to as ‘Spy
cartoons’. It appeared in Vanity
Fair on 1883 March 3.
I can supply a high-resolution scan of this
lithograph for commercial reproduction.
ian @ ianridpath.com