The Man in the Moon — Le Voyage dans la Lune, Méliès 1902

Inspired by Jules Verne's 'From the Earth to the Moon' and H.G. Wells' 'The First Men in the Moon,' Georges Méliès' landmark 1902 silent film 'Le Voyage dans la Lune' immortalized this grinning, anthropomorphic lunar face. This hand-painted film still captures the iconic Moon character — a full disc with expressive human features, scowling brows, and a sly smirk — surrounded by billowing painted clouds against a deep black sky, embodying early cinema's fantastical vision of space exploration.