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Lot 10
[Apollo 8] FIRST EARTHRISE: the iconic first color photograph of Earthrise taken by humans William Anders, 21–27 December 1968
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue HocheSold for €8,320 inc. premium
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[Apollo 8] FIRST EARTHRISE: the iconic first color photograph of Earthrise taken by humans
William Anders, 21–27 December 1968
Printed 1968.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS8-14-2383].
With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA / North American Rockwell, Downey, California). (North American Rockwell was NASA's prime contractor for the Apollo Command and Service Modules).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
A superb printing of this iconic photograph, taken by astronaut William Anders on December 24, 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission, showing Earth rising above the lunar horizon as seen from the spacecraft in orbit around the Moon. It was the first time humans saw Earth from this perspective, and the first colour photograph taken during the event.
It shifted humanity's view of our planet, inspiring the environmental movement and reinforcing the idea of Earth as a small, interconnected, and fragile home for all life. Seeing Earth from this distance brought a new awareness of the planet's vulnerability and its unity, transcending borders, politics, and divisions.
It became the cover photo of TIME's Great Images of the 20th Century and the central image on the cover of LIFE's 100 Photographs That Changed the World.
Different versions of the image, with varying contrasts and tones, were released by NASA at the time, including this magnificent version, which closely matches the one published in LIFE Magazine on January 10, 1969.
"The happy combination of a long lens, colour film, my varying f-stops as I shot, and a much cleaner window on my side of the spacecraft, all resulted in one of the pictures from my camera's magazine being selected by NASA as what has since become the iconic 'Earthrise."
—William Anders (Jacobs, p. 33)
Printed 1968.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS8-14-2383].
With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA / North American Rockwell, Downey, California). (North American Rockwell was NASA's prime contractor for the Apollo Command and Service Modules).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
A superb printing of this iconic photograph, taken by astronaut William Anders on December 24, 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission, showing Earth rising above the lunar horizon as seen from the spacecraft in orbit around the Moon. It was the first time humans saw Earth from this perspective, and the first colour photograph taken during the event.
It shifted humanity's view of our planet, inspiring the environmental movement and reinforcing the idea of Earth as a small, interconnected, and fragile home for all life. Seeing Earth from this distance brought a new awareness of the planet's vulnerability and its unity, transcending borders, politics, and divisions.
It became the cover photo of TIME's Great Images of the 20th Century and the central image on the cover of LIFE's 100 Photographs That Changed the World.
Different versions of the image, with varying contrasts and tones, were released by NASA at the time, including this magnificent version, which closely matches the one published in LIFE Magazine on January 10, 1969.
"The happy combination of a long lens, colour film, my varying f-stops as I shot, and a much cleaner window on my side of the spacecraft, all resulted in one of the pictures from my camera's magazine being selected by NASA as what has since become the iconic 'Earthrise."
—William Anders (Jacobs, p. 33)
Footnotes
Literature
LIFE, 10 January 1969, pp. 20-21
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, May 1969, pp. 596-597
NEWSWEEK, 7 July 1969, cover
TIME, 10 January 1969, p. 41
The View from Space: American Astronaut Photography, 1962–1972, Schick and Van Haaften, p. 98
Space: A History of Space Exploration in Photographs, Chaikin, p. 83
Airborne Camera: The World from the Air of Outer Space, Newhall, p. 136-137
Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts, Jacobs, p. 32
Apollo: The Epic Journey to the Moon, Reynolds, p. 111
Watch more
CLICK HERE: A New Look at NASA's Apollo 8 'Earthrise'
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