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Lot 81
[Gemini IV] THE FIRST SPACE PORTRAIT: Ed White, captured weightless inside the capsule after the first U.S. spacewalk James McDivitt, 3–7 June 1965
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue HocheSold for €1,088 inc. premium
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[Gemini IV] THE FIRST SPACE PORTRAIT: Ed White, captured weightless inside the capsule after the first U.S. spacewalk
James McDivitt, 3–7 June 1965
Printed 1965.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image S-65-30549].
With NASA caption and "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse, numbered "NASA S-65-30549" in red in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
This awe-inspiring portrait of an exhilarated Ed White, back inside the Gemini spacecraft after his historic first American spacewalk, is the first photograph to show the face of a human in space. Skillfully captured by James McDivitt using a Zeiss Contarex 35mm camera loaded with space-qualified color film, this moment captures White as he processes the magnitude of his achievement. White is still wearing his EVA suit, sunlight illuminating part of his face while shadows fall over the rest.
The spacecraft's window behind him frames the scene as he gazes out into space. The photograph conveys the emotional and human side of space exploration, highlighting the delicate balance between triumph and danger. Tragically, White died two years later, alongside Virgil "Gus" Grissom and Roger Chaffee, in the Apollo spacecraft fire at Cape Kennedy.
Printed 1965.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image S-65-30549].
With NASA caption and "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse, numbered "NASA S-65-30549" in red in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
This awe-inspiring portrait of an exhilarated Ed White, back inside the Gemini spacecraft after his historic first American spacewalk, is the first photograph to show the face of a human in space. Skillfully captured by James McDivitt using a Zeiss Contarex 35mm camera loaded with space-qualified color film, this moment captures White as he processes the magnitude of his achievement. White is still wearing his EVA suit, sunlight illuminating part of his face while shadows fall over the rest.
The spacecraft's window behind him frames the scene as he gazes out into space. The photograph conveys the emotional and human side of space exploration, highlighting the delicate balance between triumph and danger. Tragically, White died two years later, alongside Virgil "Gus" Grissom and Roger Chaffee, in the Apollo spacecraft fire at Cape Kennedy.
Footnotes
Watch more
CLICK HERE: Gemini 4 | NASAs First Ever Space Walk - Narrated By Ed White
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