posted 07-28-2009 02:47 PM               

Reflections: Images of Apollo

In honor of the 40th anniversary of man walking on the moon, The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center is hosting, "Reflections: Images of Apollo," a unique photo exhibit from Space Collector, Leslie Cantwell. This is the first time these inscribed photographs have been seen in the United States.

Gathered personally by Mr. Cantwell, this exhibit features 100, large-scale, official NASA photographs inscribed by the astronauts and others involved with the missions. This is the largest collection of its kind, and the Cosmosphere is pleased to be chosen as the first place Cantwell has allowed to exhibit the photos in the US.

The collection includes not only autographs, but also lengthy inscriptions by many of the astronauts. Some capture funny exchanges that occurred at the time, others feature text from the great writers and poets throughout history, and some include descriptions of chilling moments of the space program.

It's rare to have even a signature from astronauts John Young, Buzz Aldrin or Michael Collins, but in this collection they have also written lengthy personal inscriptions on the photos. This collection is a tribute to the Apollo program and its extraordinary achievements.

In addition to those listed above, also included are photos signed by Alan Bean, Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, Harrison Schmitt, Gene Kranz, and Gene Cernan, as well as many others. Walter Cunningham, Lunar Module Pilot of Apollo 7, is quoted as saying, "These are rare and unique pictures from a unique time in the history of the world."

Cantwell's interest in the US Space program started in 1981 when he met moonwalker Jim Irwin in Germany. Irwin inscribed a photo of a man standing on the moon with the words, "with love from the moon." Cantwell put it aside, but when he rediscovered the photo 10 years later, it ignited an interest in this history and he began pursuing other photos.

The decision to combine the 16" X 20" photos with handwritten text from those involved takes the photo beyond visual art. Cantwell is preserving an important part of our history like no one else has and is promoting the achievements of the American space program to a new generation.

The original photographs will be on display at the Cosmosphere beginning on July 20, the 40th anniversary of the moon landing.

Photo credit: Kansas Cosmosphere

posted 12-11-2009 11:29 PM               

Is a picture worth a thousand words? As an autograph collector with a passion for space, there's nothing I like better than words inscribed on a unique image, giving me a connection to the moment in time and the individuals who lived that moment. But when do inscriptions complete an image and when do they transform that image into another art form?

These are just a few of the questions that came to mind as I made my way through the display of incredible large-format (16x20) signed and inscribed photos from the Leslie Cantwell collection. Cantwell, a U.K. business man and collector of unique historic images from the Apollo space program, possesses the world's largest and most extensive collection of signed and inscribed images from Apollo. His amazing collection, on display through 2010 at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson, Kan., is the result of a passionate pursuit and has been more than a decade in the making...

posted 01-19-2014 02:18 PM               

Astronaut autographs exhibition captures 'Reflections' of moon missions

A private archive of astronaut-autographed and inscribed photographs, hailed by its curators as being among the world's "largest and most important" collections of its type, is now on public display in New Mexico.

"Reflections: Images of Apollo," a temporary exhibit open through March 22 inside the Governor's Gallery at the New Mexico State Capitol in Santa Fe, presents a selection of lunar exploration photos from the collection amassed over 30 years by British space enthusiast Leslie Cantwell.

Since obtaining his first inscribed photo in 1981, Cantwell has sought to have the Apollo astronauts who flew to the moon add their handwritten notes and signatures to large-format prints of the scenes they alone witnessed in space.

"Leslie's quest has resulted in one of the most unique exhibits I have ever seen," said Chris Orwoll, executive director of the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo. "Not only does each photo depict an historic moment in Apollo history, but the inscriptions bring that instant to life."