Alphonse Borrelly discovered NGC 2715 around 1871 with a 7.2-inch comet-seeker at Marseille Observatory. He noted "pretty bright, 3' in extent, elliptic; no nucleus." and his micrometric position (MNRAS, 32, 248) matches UGC 4759.

400/500mm - 17.5" (2/1/92): moderately bright, fairly large, elongated 2:1 SW-NE, 4'x2', broad weak concentration, fairly low but irregular surface brightness. The major axis is collinear with a mag 11 star 4.0' SSW of center.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb