The Victorians were keen astronomers and North Norfolk is well known for its clear night skies. In the Natural History Museum in Kensington you may also see very ecologically unfriendly but rather beautiful stuffed birds and small mammals. Taxidermy was very popular and many houses boasted stuffed creatures as trophies.
As a lad I recall seeing the collection of stuffed animals and birds that had been created by Walter Potter (1835 – 1918) depicting scenes from children’s songs. A bizzare sight, which can be seen at this website
Alan.
I found this great website (http://www.livescience.com/17862-gallery-astronomy-art-trouvelot.html), showing twelve pictures produced by the artist E.L.Trouvelot, in the 1870s. It’s an eclectic mixture from the Aurora Borealis to Saturn and Jupiter. The pictures are stunning, and the commentary well worth reading.