James McDivitt

The first photograph of man in space, Ed White’s first American EVA over Hawaii

Gemini IV, June 3-7, 1965, orbit 3, 004:30:00 GET

Large-format presentation vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based Kodak paper, 27.7 x 35.5cm (11 x 14in), with “A Kodak Paper” watermarks on the verso (NASA MSC) [NASA S-65-30431]
27.7 x 35.5cm (11 x 14in)

Hope, p. 46; Cortright, p. 150; NASA SP-350, p. 38.

This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Christie’s Park Royal. All collections from Christie’s Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.
Specified lots are being stored at Crozier Park Royal (details below) or will be removed from Christie’s, 8 King Street, London, SW1Y 6QT by 5.00pm on the day of the sale. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. If the lot has been transferred to Crozier Park Royal, it will be available for collection from 12.00pm on the second business day following the sale. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Crozier Park Royal. All collections from Crozier Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s, 8 King Street, it will be available for collection on any working day (not weekends) from 9.00am to 5.00pm
Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.

Conditions of Sale
FAQs
This lot is offered by Christie Manson & Woods Ltd

Brought to you by

Lot Essay

An extremely rare large-format of this major photograph of space exploration, the first showing a human being in space.

“Within days of splashdown, McDivitt’s pictures appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world, marking a turning point in the role photography played in the space program and in the popular conception of manned space exploration” (Schick and Van Haaften, p. 13).

“I wasn’t the only one who felt the power of those images from space,” noted space historian Andrew Chaikin. “Countless people saw them and understood their basic message: this was the edge of human experience” (Chaikin, Space, p. 12).

“When I saw these photographs for the first time I couldn’t believe it. I thought of Buck Rogers. It was scary to look at that stuff in the dark room with the lights out. When you saw those pictures gleaming up from a light table it gave you goose bumps.”
Les Gaver, former photography director, Public Affairs, NASA (Schick and Van Haaften, p. 34)