This 18th century woodcut of a shepherd and the cosmos is taken from the French astronomer Camille Flammarion’s book L’Atomosphere Meteorologie Populaire. There is some speculation that the unnamed artist was a woman. Flammarion is known as an astronomer and prolific writer and lecturer on topics as wide ranging as climatology and solar cycles. Late in life he became interested in spiritualism and a lost civilization responsible for what were believed to be canals built on the planet Mars. A cult hero in France, his work remains of great interest to scientists and the New Age community.
