157. [Gagarin]

15 vintage photographs.

S.l., s.n., 1961

Set of 15 (of 16) photos, 9 x 7 cm, b/w, numb. in the negative 1-14 and 16 at left lower corner. All signed 2 times in black ink (one sign. abbreviated and one in full).

Preserved in a leporello portfolio, 14,5 x 10,5 cm, green leather. Very good condition.

Very rare testimony of the triumphant reception organised for the Russian cosmonaut (1934-1968) after his heroic flight in space - the first one ever - on April 12, 1961. "Upon his return to Earth, Gagarin was an international hero. A cheering crowd of hundreds of thousands of people greeted him in Red Square [...] in Moskow. A national treasure, Gagarin traveled around the world to celebrate the historic Soviet achievement" (Space.com). The portraits represent Gagarin in various uniforms, next to a plane, dressed in a space-suit, with his elder daughter Lena, with Nikita Khrushchev or Leonid Brejnev on the Red Square, greeting the enthusiastic crowd from the tribune and so on. The lacking picture (nr. 15) was offered by the former owner, a Hungarian diplomat who escorted Gagarin on his tour, to the Budapest Hungarian Military History Institute and Museum in 2015 (official certification joined). We couldn't find another set as complete as this one, a fortiori signed.

€ 7.000 / 10.000

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