Moon People

Pictures from the times when all the unknown places of the earth and the heavens still were crowded with fabulous creatures and imaginary landscapes

Scoperte fatte nella luna Sigr. Herschell, [1836]

While browsing some archives with historic scientific images I  found the picture above and below are some examples from this wonderful "portfolio of hand-tinted lithographs purports to illustrate the "discovery of life on the moon." In 1836, Richard E. Locke, writing for the New York Sun, claimed that the noted British astronomer Sir William Herschel had discovered life on the moon. Flora and fauna included bat-men, moon maidens (with luna-moth wings), moon bison, and other extravagant life forms. Locke proposed an expedition to the moon using a ship supported by hydrogen balloons."

right mouse click and "open image" to see pictures in original size

Leopoldo Galluzzo, Altre scoverte fatte nella luna dal Sigr. Herschel, Napoli, 1836
(source)

and of course Jules Verne and George Melies come to mind.