These boards, which come from Frank Hampson's estate, were reference files from his Dan Dare studio. As with the collection of ‘The Human Figure in Motion’ (also up for sale now) these reflect Hampson’s well-documented search for absolute accuracy.
They comprise four sets of astronomical photos published by the Sky Publishing Company, Harvard College University, Cambridge, Massachusetts and the Lick Observatory in the 1940’s/50’s, together with the relevant explanatory pages. There are two sets of stars and star systems, and two of lunar close-ups. They are plates which have been taken from a book (?) and pasted on to backing board.
Two of the boards have ‘Please return to Frank Hampson’ written on them in his hand, presumably because they left the studio at some point.
All the sets are complete apart from plate 33 of ‘Sky Sets II’. Each board measures approx 26cms x 36cms.
24 plates in ‘Sky Sets 1’
23 plates in ‘Sky Sets 2’
11 plates in ‘Lunar Crescent Sets’
18 plates in the close-ups of the Moon
They offer good insight into the vast amount of work and meticulous research involved in the creation of Dan Dare and his life in outer space.
These boards, which come from Frank Hampson's estate, were an integral part of Hampson's Dan Dare studio reference material. Four of them bear Hampson’s signature - probably because they were lent out at some time - and two have his written annotations (see photo).
As with the collection of ‘Astronomical Photographs’ (also up for sale now) they reflect Hampson’s well-documented search for absolute accuracy. The mounted images were cut from an early edition of The Human Figure in Motion by Eadweard Muybridge who was famous for his pioneering photographic studies of motion and his early work in motion-picture projection.
There are a total of 122 boards with hand written alternating numbers from 17 to 271. The numbering refers to the page numbers in the book. Numbers 119,191, 233 and 235 are missing from the sequence. The images are half tone reproductions probably taken from a 1922 reprint of the book.
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