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(TELEVISION—APOLLO 11)
A collection of 67 photographs, arranged in mini-albums and frames, documenting the
Apollo 11 moon landing, one of the most iconic live broadcasts in television history.
The collection, assembled by one collector, consists of 5 independent series of images, each one
captured by a separate viewer of the live broadcast; 4 of the series are housed in period albums and
one is presented in a set of 1960s television-like frames.The “screenshots” show an array of scenes
from the televised broadcasts, including, but not limited to: various simulations prior to touchdown,
views of the desolate “Sea of Tranquility,” Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin cautiously taking their
first steps onto the Moon’s surface, and President Nixon in live conversation with the astronauts as
they stand next to Lunar Module Eagle and the erected plastic American flag. A number of the
photographs include screen captions such as “Aldrin on moon,”“Lunar Touchdown,” and “First step
on the Moon,” as well as others. Silver (37), chromogenic (23), and Polaroid (6) prints, the images
ranging in size from 3
1
/
2
x3
1
/
2
to 8x10 inches (8.8x8.8 to 20.3x25.4 cm.), some with dates printed
on recto, and many with date stamps on verso. 1969
[4,000/6,000]
WITH—Group of three 35mm Ektachrome transparencies of TV screens broadcasting the Apollo
11 moon landing.
The Apollo 11 mission and landing, which was broadcast live, was viewed by 125 million people in
the U.S. alone—93% of the TV-watching population. It is believed that more than 600 million
viewers worldwide tuned in to watch Armstrong and Aldrin take their first steps on the lunar surface.