Lewis Swift discovered IC 196 = Sw. IX-11, along with IC 195, on 20 Oct 1889 and recorded "pF; pS; R; trap with 3 st; nf of 2 [with IC 195]." His position and description is a good match with UGC 1556, though Howe measured an accurate micrometric position in 1898.

400/500mm - 17.5" (11/17/01): fairly faint, fairly small, nearly edge-on 4:1 SSW-NNE, 1.2'x0.3'. Contains a rounder, bright core and stellar nucleus. Forms a close pair with IC 195 2.2' SW. This galaxy is actually an interacting quartet, although only the main galaxy was observed along with IC 195.

900/1200mm - 48" (10/29/16): at 488x and 610x; bright, large, very elongated but irregular 5:1 ~N-S, ~2.0'x0.4', well concentrated with a small, round bright core. A fairly thin long arm or tail extends due south from the core and then curls southwest towards IC 195. It appears to spread out and dim on the southwest end [0.9' from center]. A shorter arm extends north from the core ~30" and dims abruptly. But a very low surface brightness, elongated N-S patch is detached on the northern end (part of an outer tidal tail or loop) ~1' from the center. A companion (LEDA 212903) is just northeast of this patch, 1.3' NNE of center. It appeared faint, small, elongated 3:2 N-S, 15"x9".

Notes by Steve Gottlieb