Portrait of Charles Messier, painted by Desportes in March, 1771 when Messier was 40 years old. Charles Messier commented on the back of the portrait, "This portrait is a good likeness, except that I appear younger than I am, and I have been given a better expression than I have."
The image here was created from a photo by Dr. Owen Gingerich.
Last Modification: 28 Aug 2000, 19:45 MET