William Herschel discovered NGC 4298 = H II-111 = h1198, along with NGC 4302, on 8 Apr 1784 (sweep 187) and recorded "Two resolvable nebula. The first [NGC 4298] R. The second NGC 4302] E. About 2' from each other. JH noted "F; L; E; vgbM; a star follows; the p of 2."

300/350mm - 13.1" (3/24/84): fairly faint, slightly elongated NW-SE. A mag 13 star is at the east end.

400/500mm - 17.5" (5/23/87): fairly bright, moderately large, elongated NW-SE, broadly brighter center. A mag 13 star is at the east end 0.8' from center. Forms a close pair with edge-on NGC 4302 2' E.

900/1200mm - 48" (4/7/13): very bright, large, oval 2:1 NW-SE, 2.5'x1.5'. Contains a very bright core, which increases to a small bright nucleus. The core is offset a bit to the NW side. The halo extends further to the southeast side and a weakly defined spiral arm is evident in the outer halo on the west side, extending to the southeast end. A mag 13.5 star is at the east side, 0.8' from the core. Forms a striking pair with NGC 4302 2' E. M99 lies 40' WSW.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb