Lot no. 397
397. [Apollo 16] PORTRAIT OF JOHN YOUNG AT PLUM CRATER, STATION 1
Charles Duke, 16-27 April 1972, EVA 1
Printed 1972.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS16-114-18423].
With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse, numbered "NASA AS16-114-18423" in red in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
A striking otherworldly portrait.
This magnificent photograph, part of a panoramic sequence taken by John Young at Station 1, captures Charles Duke standing near the rim of Plum Crater, framed by the stark beauty and isolation of the Moon.
Duke, equipped with his Hasselblad camera mounted on his chest and a sample bag hanging from his life-support backpack, faces his photographer with his scoop planted in the regolith for scale. He acknowledges Young with a gesture, recognizing the profound beauty of the scene from both perspectives:
124:03:01 Duke: "John, you are just beautiful. That is the most beautiful sight."
With Young's reflection visible in Duke's visor, this composition uniquely captures both astronauts—one behind the camera, the other framed against the lunar landscape—immortalizing a rare moment of human presence on another world.
From the mission transcript when the photograph was taken:
124:03:01 Duke: John, you are just beautiful. That is the most beautiful sight.
124:03:07 Young: What's that?
124:03:08 Duke: You standing there on the rim of that crater.
124:03:09 England (Mission Control): Doggone. I've never heard John described as beautiful. [...]
124:03:12 Duke: (To England) Well, he's not really... Well, actually, he is on this thing; I'll tell you.
124:03:21 Duke: (As he waves) Hi, there.
Literature
TIME, 15 May 1972, p. 61
Spacecam, Hope, p. 26
Pictures credits: Contact organization
Photographs and film
About the sale04/28/2025
Catalog
FOR ALL MANKIND THE ARTISTIC LEGACY OF EARLY SPACE EXPLORATION: Victor Martin-Malburet Collection
75008 Paris - France
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