Desirable original sketch of an eagle in flight, an early design of the Apollo 11 mission insignia accomplished in pencil by artist Al Stevens on an off-white 4.75 x 7 sheet. Matted with a caption that reads: “The Eagle Has Landed, One of 11 Original Sketches Made by the Artist Al Stevens During His Process of Designing the Apollo 11 Crew Emblem.” Framed to an overall size of 14.75 x 17.75. In fine condition. Accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Noah Bradley of Lunar Archive, who states: “This pencil sketch on vellum was drawn by Al Stevens during his process of designing the Apollo 11 crew emblem. Al Stevens was the artist behind most of the Apollo 11 crew emblems which were used to create the crew’s patches. I had the good fortune of acquiring a quantity of his early artwork of which this sketch was a part.”
An artist for the Space Division of Rockwell International, Stevens designed the mission emblems for Apollo missions 1, 7, 9, and 10, and made design proposals for Apollo 11, 12, and 17. The Apollo 11 mission emblem was ultimately designed by CMP Michael Collins, who wanted a symbol for a ‘peaceful lunar landing by the United States.’
