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, How To Use, Have Fun With, and Learn From the Spitz Junior Planetarium (1954).
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.
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.
Ref: Armand Spitz, “Planetarium,” U.S. Patent 2,632,359 (1953).
Jordan Marché, Theaters of Time and Space. American Planetaria, 1930-1970 (Rutgers, 2005), chapter 5, “Armand N. Spitz and Pinhole Style Planetaria.”
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