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Lot 7
[Apollo 11] LM EAGLE AND EARTHRISE: the only photograph in history showing every human in the universe except the photographer Michael Collins, 16-24 July 1969
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue HocheSold for €3,328 inc. premium
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[Apollo 11] LM EAGLE AND EARTHRISE: the only photograph in history showing every human in the universe except the photographer
Michael Collins, 16-24 July 1969
Printed 1969.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS11-44-6642].
Numbered "NASA AS11-44-6642" in red in the top margin, with "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.).
Historical context
A photographer's dream: Michael Collins is the only person in history to photograph every human being in the universe—his home planet Earth and the two astronauts in Eagle—except himself, the photographer. This iconic photograph, taken by Collins from the orbiting Command Module (Columbia), captures Earthrise over the Moon along with the Lunar Module (Eagle) returning from the lunar surface, carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, all in a single frame.
*"Little by little, they grew closer, steady, as if on rails, and I thought, 'What a beautiful sight,' one that had to be recorded. As I reached for my Hasselblad, suddenly the Earth popped up over the horizon, directly behind Eagle. I could not have staged it any better, but the alignment was not of my doing, just a happy coincidence. I suspect a lot of good photography is like that, some serendipitous happenstance beyond the control of the photographer. But at any rate, as I clicked away, I realized that for the first time, in one frame, appeared three billion earthlings, two explorers, and one Moon. The photographer, of course, was discreetly out of view."*
—Michael Collins
*"This picture captures the essence of the Apollo project, two celestial bodies connected by a human transportation system composed of two very different vehicles. Taken through the window of the Command Module, which has the ability to return through the Earth's atmosphere at very high speeds, this photograph features the ascent stage of the Lunar Module, the only craft able to convey crewmen from lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon and back to lunar orbit. As the LM was unable to return through the Earth's atmosphere, it had to rendezvous and dock with the Command Module, where the crew could transfer for the return to their Home Planet."*
—Neil Armstrong (Jacobs, p. 65)
Printed 1969.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS11-44-6642].
Numbered "NASA AS11-44-6642" in red in the top margin, with "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.).
Historical context
A photographer's dream: Michael Collins is the only person in history to photograph every human being in the universe—his home planet Earth and the two astronauts in Eagle—except himself, the photographer. This iconic photograph, taken by Collins from the orbiting Command Module (Columbia), captures Earthrise over the Moon along with the Lunar Module (Eagle) returning from the lunar surface, carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, all in a single frame.
*"Little by little, they grew closer, steady, as if on rails, and I thought, 'What a beautiful sight,' one that had to be recorded. As I reached for my Hasselblad, suddenly the Earth popped up over the horizon, directly behind Eagle. I could not have staged it any better, but the alignment was not of my doing, just a happy coincidence. I suspect a lot of good photography is like that, some serendipitous happenstance beyond the control of the photographer. But at any rate, as I clicked away, I realized that for the first time, in one frame, appeared three billion earthlings, two explorers, and one Moon. The photographer, of course, was discreetly out of view."*
—Michael Collins
*"This picture captures the essence of the Apollo project, two celestial bodies connected by a human transportation system composed of two very different vehicles. Taken through the window of the Command Module, which has the ability to return through the Earth's atmosphere at very high speeds, this photograph features the ascent stage of the Lunar Module, the only craft able to convey crewmen from lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon and back to lunar orbit. As the LM was unable to return through the Earth's atmosphere, it had to rendezvous and dock with the Command Module, where the crew could transfer for the return to their Home Planet."*
—Neil Armstrong (Jacobs, p. 65)
Footnotes
After 21 hours on the lunar surface, the LM Eagle rose to join Collins in Columbia for the journey back to Earth. As Eagle approached for docking, Collins witnessed a unique and breathtaking view: an Earthrise behind Eagle above Smyth's Sea. Framing this extraordinary moment through Columbia's window, Collins used the Hasselblad 500EL with an 80mm lens to create one of the most iconic depictions of the Apollo program.
Apollo 11 remains the only mission to bring back photographs depicting both Earth and the Lunar Module together over the Moon. Shortly after this photograph was taken, Eagle docked with Columbia in lunar orbit, allowing Armstrong and Aldrin to transfer invaluable lunar samples and film magazines for the return journey to Earth. Following the transfer, Eagle was jettisoned and left to crash on the lunar surface.
Literature
National Geographic, December 1969, pp. 748-749
Moon: Man's Greatest Adventure, Thomas, ed., p. 206
The View from Space: American Astronaut Photography, 1962–1972, Schick and Van Haaften, p. 75
Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts, Jacobs, p. 64
Apollo Expeditions to the Moon (NASA SP-350), Cortright, ed., p. 219
Watch more
CLICK HERE: Apollo 11 - 16-mm magazine 1122-D
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