Andy B has kindly sent me some wonderfully evocative vintage artwork from the Eagle Annual No.8 and Jack Coggins illustration from Rockets, Jets and Guided Missiles (above). Its interesting to note the shape of the rocket in the Eagle spread with two massive boosters either side - predating the shuttle concept considerably. I love the Von Braun/Bonestellian look to the giant winged rockets in direct contrast to the open framework and spherical tanks of the moon landing vehicles. Very reminiscent of the late fifties film 'Conquest of Space'.
Finally Andy provided a nice composite of some cards given away by Ice Cream vendors Mr Whippy and Mr Softee - anyone familiar with them ?
I've got the plans for a model of that unmanned moon lander - a carrier vehicle for the Moon Prospector, perhaps? - and will scan it when I get a chance!
ReplyDeleteGrif
Hi Grif, that sounds great.
ReplyDeleteTommy
hell yeh! bring em on!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful stuff...I am still searching for the image of Saturn from Titan I got as a birthday card as a kid...keeps me awake at night!
ReplyDeleteJust love space art!
ed - is this it ?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.outer-space-art-gallery.com/chesley-bonestell.html
Hi Wote.
ReplyDeleteI have come across that image a few times during my searches. It is very similar to the one I remember, but the image on the Birthday card had some exploring spacemen in it (very small) standing on the edge of a cliff and looking out over a cratered plain and a vehicle or two in the vista. I am also pretty certain that the whole of Saturn was not visible...it was emerging from behind a high mountain, very like the one in the picture from the link. The art style however was very, very similar to Bonestell's.
It must be the best part of 40 years since I got the card, but even back then there was a little blurb on the back talking about Titan and its atmosphere.
I am sure it went something like:
"Spacemen in the future, exploring Saturn's moon Titan which has an atmosphere that could possibly support life".
Wish I could find it.
Thanks for looking for it!
Wow, I might have found it but I think this is a cropped version...I remember seeing more of Saturn's rings.
ReplyDeleteThe info given about the image says:
"Karl Gilzin’s book ["Travel to Distant Worlds"] (from 1958) contained some pretty neat illustrations … [b]ut the illustrations got even better once this book was translated into Russian, and some nameless artist from DetGiz Publishing House in 1960 drew these inspiring scenes"
http://silver-rockets.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/0909_distantworlds2.jpg