Guide to the Papers of Pietro Baracchi, 1880-1973 (bulk 1880-1925)

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Summary

Collection number:
MS 8913
Creator:
Baracchi, Pietro, 1851-1926
Extent:
0.28 meters and (2 boxes + 1 folio box)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Pietro Baracchi, National Library of Australia, MS 8913, [series and/or file number]'.
Availability:
Available
Access conditions:
Available for research.

Background

Content Summary:

The papers relate to both the personal and public life of Pietro Baracchi and other members of the Baracchi family over a considerable number of years. There are diaries, scientific notes, records of field trips, photographs and pamphlets. The scientific component is small, but the observations are of great importance. The formal and informal portraits of Baracchi and his son Guido Baracchi and their families date from c. 1888 to 1973. The diaries of his visit to Europe, including his native Italy, in 1922 to 1924, have descriptive accounts of his travelling companions and their experiences together.

Baracchi contributed an article on astronomy and geodesy to the Federal handbook : prepared in connection with the eighty-fourth meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science held in Australia, August, 1914, and the accumulated letters and material in connection with the article are in the papers. There are also transcripts of letters Baracchi wrote to friends on his overseas trip.

Biographical Note:

The astronomer Pietro Baracchi was born in Florence in 1851 and died in Melbourne in 1926. He took a degree in civil engineering and served briefly in the Italian army as a engineer.

Baracchi came first to New Zealand in 1876 and finding no professional openings there he came to Australia later that year, joining the Victorian Public Service. While working at the Melbourne Observatory in 1882 he was selected to go to Port Darwin to take part in a project to determine Australian longitudes. Baracchi was appointed acting government astronomer in 1895, and his appointment as Victorian Government Astronomer was confirmed in 1900. For some time he was president of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science. He selected Mt Stromlo as the site for the Australian Observatory in 1911. One of his great interests was Halley's Comet.

Baracchi was best known to the general public as official weather forecaster for the colony. He fought hard to have observatories relieved of meteorological duties and this was achieved in 1907.

He was elected a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1884, and in 1897 the Italian monarch conferred upon him the Order of Knight Commander of the Crown of Italy.

Bibliographic Reference(s)

  • Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 7, 1891-1939.
Provenance:

The papers of both Pietro Baracchi and his son Guido were donated to the Library under the Taxation Incentives for the Arts Scheme by Baracchi's granddaughter Gilda Baracchi. These papers were donated to the National Library in instalments since 1976.

Indexed terms

Names:
Baracchi, Pietro, 1851-1926

Access and use

Conditions Governing Access:
The collection is available for reference.
Conditions Governing Use:
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
Preferred citation:
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Pietro Baracchi, National Library of Australia, MS 8913, [series and/or file number]'.
Location of this collection:
Parkes Place
Canberra ACT 2600, Australia
Contact:
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