H istorical d ocument

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Profiles in History
   
Historical Document Auction 63
Less than a year after his flight to the moon, Neil Armstrong signs a 
menu from the maiden voyage of the Alitalia airplane named for him.
10.  Armstrong, Neil. Menu signed (“Neil Armstrong Apollo 11”) on the front, 
no date (circa June, 1970), signed in flight on the maiden voyage of Alitalia’s 
747-100 named “Neil Armstrong”, which left from Tripoli, Italy. The attractive 
four-page menu (6.75” x 9.5 in.; 171 x 241), is heavy stock paper depicting 
a color image of the Greek celestrial map “Hemisphaerium Australe” with a 
spectacular Armstrong signature in bold blue ink. The signature was obtained 
by a young girl who was on that historic maiden flight. Her father encouraged 
her to request Armstrong’s autograph, and he complied. Fine. $1,500 - $2,000
NASA Vintage oversize color photograph 
signed by Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and 
Buzz Aldrin.
11. Apollo 11 Mission. Historic oversize NASA 
color photograph signed (“Neil Armstrong”, “M. 
Collins” and “Buzz Aldrin”) on the (16 x 20 in.; 406 
x 508 mm.) photographer’s matt. The (10.75 x 13.75 
in.; 273 x 349 mm.) color photograph of Buzz Aldrin 
was taken by Neil Armstrong on 20 July 1969, the 
day Apollo 11 landed on the Moon. NASA described 
the historic moment: “Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar 
module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, poses 
for a photograph during an Apollo 11 Extravehicular 
Activity (EVA) on the lunar surface, and the footprints 
of the astronauts are clearly visible in the soil of the 
Moon. Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander, 
took this picture with a 70mm Hasselblad lunar 
surface camera. While Astronauts Armstrong and 
Aldrin descended in the LM, the ‘Eagle,’ to explore 
the Sea of Tranquility region of the Moon, astronaut 
Michael Collins, command module pilot, remained 
with the Command and Service Module (CSM) 
‘Columbia’ in lunar-orbit.” A magnificent and 
historic display piece. Light toning on matt. Housed 
in a custom archival frame. $2,000 - $3,000

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Neil Armstrong signed NASA photo taken 20 days 
before he walked on the Moon.
12. Armstrong, Neil. NASA photograph signed (“Neil 
Armstrong”), color (8 x 10 in.; 203 x 254 mm.) Captioned 
in narrow lower margin “Neil A. Armstrong.” Tiny nick on 
image, mounting remnants on verso, pinholes at blank corners; 
otherwise, fine condition.
This NASA image was taken on 1 July 1969, 20 days before 
Neil Armstrong became the first to walk on the Moon. NASA 
caption on verso: “Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong was named 
by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as 
the prime crew commander of the Apollo 11 lunar landing 
mission. He was one of nine astronauts selected by NASA in 
September, 1962.” $2,000 - $3,000
13. Baker, Josephine. Extraordinary photograph signed 
(“Josephine Baker”), a beautiful (8.5 x 10.6 in.; 216 x 269 mm.) 
black & white photograph of Baker in costume as “Dora” in the 
1934 production of La Créole. In bold ink, Baker has inscribed 
on the image, “ A Mr. Michel Breuil En Souvenir de Josephine Baker 
1935” Imprinted at the bottom of the photograph is “Joséphine 
Baker dans ‘La Créole’”. In fine condition.  $1,500 - $2,000

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Profiles in History
   
Historical Document Auction 63
14. [Astronomy]. Airy, George Biddell. Autograph letter signed (“G.B. Airy”), 3 pages (4.75 x 7.5 in.; 120 x 190 mm.), Greenwich, 
London, 5 July 1860, on “Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London, S.E.” letterhead stationery, written to Major Tennant. Separation and 
toning at the vertical fold.
Important Astronomy letter of famed Royal Observatory Astronomer G.B. Airy.
Your clear view of the mottling of the Sun’s disk is a certain sign that you saw it very well. The Galvanic storm was observed here in great 
force. I believe that here also the force of the earth was diminished. It is to be desired that the Telegraph Clerks should record the times, 
directions and magnitudes, of the disturbances of their needles.
Airy writes in full: Dear Sir, I am obliged to reply in extreme haste to your letters of March 23 and April 12, which I have been compelled to put off 
till I am just starting for the total eclipse of the sun. (I will mention that, if you would write successive short letters, I could probably attend to everyone 
with little delay.) Your note about Lescashault sent to R. Astronomical Society. Your clear view of the mottling of the Sun’s disk is a certain sign that you 
saw it very well. The Galvanic storm was observed here in great force. I believe that here also the force of the earth was diminished. It is to be desired that 
the Telegraph Clerks should record the times, directions and magnitudes, of the disturbances of their needles. Your reports on Equatorial, Refraction, Tables 
and transit Circle, though not perfectly satisfactory, are very interesting. There can be no doubt of the good policy of your removing a microscope from the 
range of lamp-heat: and I think that your general policy of using 5 microscopes (as certainly not used in the original division) is good. But I am led, by 
my own examination, to have great trust in Simms’ dividing engine. (Simms died a few weeks ago, I think his son will prove an able man). I cannot 
tell you how difficult, or rather how impossible, it is, to learn anything about the silk for the magnets. I never had any of Sabine’s mountings, there is no 
person in London who has used them; and Sabine himself professes to know nothing or remember nothing about them. Surely you could find silk in India 
(the fibres in the first process of union by the manufacturer). In regard to photography, probably you will have no difficulty when you have discovered the 
proper rules; but these rules must be different from ours. A temperature of 80 or 90 makes our ordinary photographing impracticable. I have never found 
change of illumination error from change of illumination. The application of the heat of a lamp may doubtless have some effect: and a small effect may be 
produced by illuminating one side of a wire rather than another. I am, dear sir, very faithfully yours, G.B. Airy. 
Sir George Biddell Airy (1801 – 1892) English scientist who was astronomer royal from 1835 to 1881. Airy graduated from Trijity 
College, Cambridge in 1823. He became Lucasian professor of mathematics at Cambridge in 1826 and Plumian professor of astronomy 
and director of the Cambridge observatory in 1828. In 1835 he was appointed the seventh astronomer royal, i.e., director of the Royal 
Greenwich Observatory, a post he would hold for more than 45 years.
Airy completely reorganized the Greenwich observatory, installing new apparatus and rescuing thousands of lunar observations from 
oblivion. Most importantly, he modernized the observatory’s system for making extremely precise observations of stellar positions. He 
wielded great power within the British scientific community, and he opposed government support of pure science, arguing that original 
research was best left to private individuals and institutions.
This letter was purchased in 1950 from the Carnegie bookshop. $600 - $800

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