LOWELL,PERCIVAL, PICKERING,W.H. AND THE FOUNDING OF THE LOWELL-OBSERVATORY

The founding of the Lowell Observatory has been neglected by historian s in favour of Lowell's Martian research. Important in its own right, the founding must be understood in the scientific and cultural context of the 1890s. The cultural institutions of Boston, especially Harvard College, facilitated the collaboration between Lowell and W. H. Picke ring which was necessary to launch the new observatory. While Lowell t urned to Harvard and the Pickering brothers for expertise, he also str uggled to protect his observatory's autonomy against the imperial ambi tions of the larger institution. Without Lowell's determination, the L owell Observatory might very well have become, like Arequipa, another station in Harvard network.