Artwork
First Man on the Moon
First Man on the Moon is a print by Paul Calle. It dates from 1969 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
A proof was canceled by an astronaut mid-flight, then the design stayed secret until released two months after the mission.
This print by Paul Calle marks the moon landing in 1969. It’s a commemorative stamp, made from a plate that even flew on Apollo 11. A proof was canceled by an astronaut mid-flight, then the design stayed secret until released two months after the mission.
Calle worked from his own sketches of the crew suiting up back on Earth. The stamp became one of the first items canceled in space.
Check out more at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
This print is a commemorative stamp design created by Paul Calle to mark the first manned moon landing in 1969.
Subject & Meaning
The stamp's design is based on Calle's sketches of astronauts preparing for their mission, capturing a moment from the Apollo 11 crew's pre-flight preparations.
Technique & Style
The printing plate for the stamp was taken aboard Apollo 11, and a proof was hand-cancelled by an astronaut during the flight, making it a unique artifact linked to the mission.
History & Provenance
The design was kept secret until the stamp's release two months after the successful Apollo 11 mission in July 1969.
Artist & collection
Artist
Paul Calle made prints that captured space exploration in the late 1960s. He turned the Apollo 11 moon landing into the lithograph *First Man on the Moon*, freezing Neil Armstrong’s bootprint in ink. His work belongs to…
