Spitz Junior Planetarium
date: label: Date made
content: 1954-1972
name: label: maker
content: Harmonic Reed Corporation
label: maker
content: Spitz, Armand
label: maker
content: Liversidge, Thomas
notes: label: Description
content: This is a plastic pinhole planetarium suitable for home or classroom use. The base is marked: “SPITZ JUNIOR / PLANETARIUM / HARMONIC REED CORPORATION / ROSEMONT PENN. / U.S. PAT. / NO. 2,632,359 / OTHER PATS PENDING.” Similar information appears on the cardboard box holding the device as well as on the accompanying pamphlet by Armand Spitz, <i>How To Use, Have Fun With, and Learn From the Spitz Junior Planetarium</i> (1954).
label: Description
content: The Spitz Junior was developed by two Pennsylvania entrepreneurs. One was Armand Spitz who had previously developed a projection planetarium for public use. The other was Thomas Liversidge, proprietor of the Harmonic Reed Corporation, a firm that produced musical instruments and toys. While Spitz held the basic patent, Liversidge and his engineers figured out how to manufacture the instrument.
label: Description
content: The first advertisements for the Spitz Junior appeared in early 1954 and the instrument was manufactured until about 1972. Altogether, over a million were produced.
label: Description
content: Ref: Armand Spitz, “Planetarium,” U.S. Patent 2,632,359 (1953).
label: Description
content: Jordan Marché, <i>Theaters of Time and Space. American Planetaria, 1930-1970</i> (Rutgers, 2005), chapter 5, “Armand N. Spitz and Pinhole Style Planetaria.”
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Lower Merion Township, Rosemont
topic: label: Subject
content: Astronomy
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
label: See more items in
content: Sputnik
label: See more items in
content: Science & Mathematics
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2000.0129.01
label: catalog number
content: 2000.0129.01
label: accession number
content: 2000.0129
objectType: label: Object Name
content: planetarium
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 36 cm x 19 cm x 19 cm; 14 3/16 in x 7 1/2 in x 7 1/2 in
label: Measurements
content: overall in box: 7 3/4 in x 15 in x 7 3/4 in; 19.685 cm x 38.1 cm x 19.685 cm