Cecil Stoughton (1920-2008) American, Photograph of Discovery Shuttle Launch. Sepia-toned shot taken eight seconds after the shuttle  began launching from Cape Canaveral for its maiden voyage on August 30th, 1984 at 8:41 AM EDT. Discovery was the third of five fully-space-worthy orbital shuttle built and launched (Enterprise was the first made, but had no engines, used only for tests), and ended it's final voyage at Kennedy Space Center on March 9th, 2011, the first shuttle to be retired followed by Endeavour and Atlantis (Challenger exploded during liftoff on January 28th, 1986, and Columbia disintegrated during reentry on its final flight, February 1st, 2003). Signed bottom right under image. 

Overall Size: 16 1/4 x 20 1/4 in. 

Sight Size: 11 1/4 x 13 1/2 in. 

#4611  

Cecil William Stoughton was born on January 18th, 1920 in Oskaloosa, Iowa. During World War II he was assigned to the First Motion Picture Unit, and quickly rose to become a captain in the United States Army Signal Corps, when he was assigned to the White House Army Signal Agency. Stoughton’s behind-the-scenes pictures of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline and their children in their public and personal life were pivotal in shaping the public’s view of the U.S. first family. He took more than 8,000 pictures of the family spanning the 34-month period beginning with Kennedy's inauguration and ending with his assassination. Stoughton took the only photograph ever published showing John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, and Marilyn Monroe together. Stoughton was present at the motorcade at which Kennedy was assassinated and subsequently took the only photograph on board Air Force One of Lyndon B. Johnson being sworn in as the next President. Stoughton later said it felt “tasteless,” but that a photograph needed to be made of the “history-making moment. From 1967 to 1973 Stoughton served as the chief still photographer of the National Park Service. In 2007 Stoughton appeared on the television series Antiques Roadshow as part of the LBJ Centennial where he recounted his story and presented prints of his photographs from his personal collection, including a print of his photograph of Johnson being sworn in that Johnson had signed, and a photograph of Johnson in the Oval Office as he signed the photo of his swearing in. All the items together appraised for $75,000. Two years after his death a large collection of his photographs was sold at auction. It included the picture of Johnson’s inauguration, and ultimately fetched $151,000. He died in Merritt Island, Florida on November 3rd, 2008, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.