Henry Draper

Henry Draper was born March 7, 1837 in Virginia. He was a doctor as well as an astronomer. Draper came from a successful family - his father was a doctor, chemist, and professor at New York University and his brother was a meteorologist. This successful background helped Draper in his own success. In 1867, Draper married a wealthy socialite, Anna Mary Palmer. Together, they were a very influential couple. Draper was very interested in the chemical effects of light. This led him to take the first daguerreotype of the Moon in 1839 and one of the first portraits in 1840. He photographed microscope slides for a textbook his father was making, and then again for his own research later on in life. After going abroad for a year, Draper became increasingly interested in astronomy and the idea of tying photography and astronomy together. This inspired Draper to take the first photograph of a nebula in space. He took a photo of the Great Nebula of Orion on September 30, 1880. He also took the first photograph of a comets head and tail in 1881 and the first stellar spectrum photograph in 1872 of Vega. 
While making breakthroughs in science, Draper continued to work as a a physician at Bellevue Hospital and then both a professor and dean of medicine at NYU. He continued to research astronomy and photography until the end of his life, and Draper won a plethora of medals and awards for his accomplishments throughout his life. He died on November 20, 1882 In New York City.