The sphere on re-entry
Claude Shepperson
Photomechanical reproduction of a watercolour
H.G. Wells, ‘The First Men in the Moon,’ The Strand 21 (Jan–Jun 1901): 657
Another of Shepperson’s expressionistic designs in which he shows the capsule burning on its re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere, a remarkable prefiguration of what happened to the Apollo craft. Given that the artist is best known for his genteel satires and illustrations for children, his capacity to depict the strange and unsettling is remarkable. Here, typically, he deploys dynamic force-lines and broken surfaces of black and white to enshrine the movement and the sense of jeopardy: will the sphere take Bedford safely home? [Click on the image to enlarge it, and mouse over the text for links.]
Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke.