Not on display

Lunar Rocket

Furnishing Fabric
1969 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Warner and Sons (manufacturer)
Eddie Squires (designer)
Place of origin
Great Britain (made)

This dramatic furnishing fabric conveys the excitement of the successful Moon landing by the Apollo 11 mission on July 20,1969. A Saturn V rocket's blazing trajectory flanks images of the orbiting Apollo 9 capsule, launched earlier that year, and the view from space of the earth and moon. The Moon and Earth rising in the sky are based on photographs taken on board the Apollo 9 flight. The image of the beautiful and fragile Earth visible from space changed our concept of the planet on which we live, emphasising its unity and vulnerability.

This textile, 'Lunar Rocket', was designed in anticipation of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. As the design had not yet gone into full production a sample was displayed in the manufacturer's London showroom on the morning of the Moonwalk. Stock arrived as Apollo 12 astronauts returned from man's second journey to the Moon. Available in one colourway only, it far exceeded the usual scope of furnishing fabrics, becoming a piece of art in its own right.

Object details

Categories
Textiles
Interiors
Object type
Furnishing fabric
TitleLunar Rocket (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Screen-printed cotton
Cotton
Printing
Brief description
Furnishing fabric 'Lunar Rocket' of screen-printed cotton, designed by Eddie Squires, made by Warner and Sons, Great Britain, 1969
Physical description
Furnishing fabric of screen-printed cotton. Against a dark blue ground a Saturn V rocket's blazing trajectory flanks images of the orbiting Apollo 9 capsule, and the view from space of the Earth and Moon.
Dimensions
  • Width: 125cm
  • Length: 304cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • Transliteration
  • Transliteration
Gallery label
Lunar Rocket
Screen-printed cotton furnishing fabric
Designed by Eddie Squires for Warner and Sons Ltd
British, 1970

This dramatic print conveys the excitement of the successful Moon landing on July 20,1969. In the full width a Saturn V rocket's blazing trajectory flanks images of the orbiting Apollo 9 capsule and the view from space of the Earth and Moon. The Moon and Earth rising in the sky are based on photographs taken on board the Apollo 9 flight. The American Pop artists Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg used similar reproductions of press images recording current events in their screen-prints. The image of the beautiful and fragile Earth visible from space changed our concept of the planet on which we live, emphasising its unity and vulnerability.

Stimulated by the fantastic developments in extra-terrestrial science, Eddie Squires kept track of every step of the Space Race. Newspaper cuttings show his interest in the engineering of sleek, aerodynamic rockets which eventually modified the design of domestic objects as varied as cars and frying pans.

Lunar Rocket, which achieved cult status, was stocked in one colourway only and is an example of Eddie's work which far exceeds the usual scope of furnishing fabrics, becoming a piece of art in its own right. He wrote about the wide-ranging influences on his work, showing that he was motivated by a concern for more than just commercial viability: "Most designers in any specialised field are responsive and…involved with all other aspects of design, painting, photography, drawing, architecture, graphics, and the audible as well as the visual arts… I believe it is incredibly important to have reactions to museums, galleries, music, the Seasons, people and the arts, and life in all its facets, rather than to be overtly influenced by competitors or stringent sales analysis." From Ambient Influences on Design, 1979.

This fabric was designed in anticipation of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. As the design had not yet gone into full production a sample was displayed in the manufacturer's London showroom on the morning of the Moonwalk. Stock arrived as Apollo 12 astronauts returned from man's second journey to the Moon.

There are examples of this textile in the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, New York and the Montreal Museum.

CIRC. 45-1970
Production
At 10.56pm Eastern Standard time on 20 July 1969 Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. Warner & Sons produced this fabric to celebrate that mission's achievement.
Subjects depicted
Spacecraft
Moon
Planet Earth
Summary
This dramatic furnishing fabric conveys the excitement of the successful Moon landing by the Apollo 11 mission on July 20,1969. A Saturn V rocket's blazing trajectory flanks images of the orbiting Apollo 9 capsule, launched earlier that year, and the view from space of the earth and moon. The Moon and Earth rising in the sky are based on photographs taken on board the Apollo 9 flight. The image of the beautiful and fragile Earth visible from space changed our concept of the planet on which we live, emphasising its unity and vulnerability.

This textile, 'Lunar Rocket', was designed in anticipation of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. As the design had not yet gone into full production a sample was displayed in the manufacturer's London showroom on the morning of the Moonwalk. Stock arrived as Apollo 12 astronauts returned from man's second journey to the Moon. Available in one colourway only, it far exceeded the usual scope of furnishing fabrics, becoming a piece of art in its own right.
Bibliographic reference
Takahiko Sano (ed.) The European Art of Textiles, Osaka : NKH Kinki Medi Plan, 1995 no.166
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
CIRC.45A-1970

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdAugust 14, 2008
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O166051/lunar-rocket-furnishing-fabric-eddie-squires/
Download as: JSON