Reflecting telescope (detail), made by James Short

This photograph shows the signature on a reflecting telescope made by James Short in Edinburgh. James Short (1710-68), the renowned telescope maker, made only reflecting telescopes, and in fact his skill lay in the polishing of metal specula (mirrors) of these instruments. This telescope appears to have been a replacement for any which had been owned by the University of Edinburgh, which were mislaid after the Jacobite Army overran the city in 1745. This particular reflector which is dated 1737, may have been uncovered from its hiding place at a later date.

This signature on the mirror retention plate reads: 'JAMES SHORT EDINBURGH 1737 17/129'. The coding on Short's instruments establishes their place in his sequence: this one was the 17th he had made of this focal length; and it was the 129th telescope that he had made. The telescope is stamped 'C 5' on the base, as the University's inventory mark.

There was a long tradition in the making of reflecting telescopes, both for the dilettante market as well as for the more serious scientist. The finest instruments during the 18th century were produced in London. The quality of optical glass at this period meant that the image seen through the refracting image remained comparatively poor at high magnifications.

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