Edward Swift, Lewis' 16 year-old son, discovered NGC 4544 = Sw. VI-45 on 27 Apr 1887 and recorded "eF; S; R; bet 2 stars." The Swifts' position was 14 seconds of time preceding UGC 7756 but the comment "bet 2 stars" clinches the identification. Perhaps due to the poor position, this galaxy was found on Crossley plates taken at Lick Observatory in 1898-1900 and catalogued as a new nebula (#505) in the 1908 Publ of Lick Obs, Vol VIII.

400/500mm - 17.5" (3/24/90): faint, fairly small, elongated 3:1 NNW-SSE, weak concentration. A mag 13.5 star is 1.5' ENE of center. NGC 4538 lies 22' NW and NGC 4527 30' SW.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb