Description:

Amelia Earhart
[Detroit, Michigan], n.d. but ca. December 1932
Amelia Earhart PSA NM-MT 8 Signed Photo Dating From 1932, Year of First Female Transatlantic Solo Flight!
SP

A vintage photograph signed by aviator Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) as "Amelia Earhart" along a diagonal orientation at lower right. N.d. but ca. December 1932. [Detroit, Michigan.] The black and white photograph shows Earhart wearing a full-length fur coat, jaunty scarf, and floral corsage, standing next to a car. Typed and hand-stamped verso as: "Amelia Earhart at Detroit Mich. / Exclusive Photo Bydon Smith. Not for Publication / or Advertising Purposes. / Don Smith / 15449 Dexter Blvd., / Detroit, Mich." Encapsulated and PSA/DNA certified and graded NM-MT 8. The "A" "h" and "t" of the signature are slightly streaky. Expected wear including some ink smears verso, else near fine. The photograph measures 3.325" x 4.875" while the slab measures 4.25" x 7.25."

The same photograph of the well-dressed Earhart can be found in the Digital Collections of The Museum of Flight (Seattle, Washington), identification number BIO_image_046. This photograph is attributed to the same photographer as ours, "D. Smith" of Detroit, and is provided with an additional piece of valuable information: the date of December 2, 1932. On this day, Earhart was indeed in Detroit; she gave a lecture on aviation at the Cass Theatre, followed by a luncheon at the Book-Cadillac Hotel, where she met several important Detroit automotive executives as well as Mayor Frank Murphy. At the lecture, Earhart was feted by the Detroit chapter of the Y.W.C.A. Girl Reserves.

On May 20, 1932, just a few months prior to posing for this photo, Earhart completed the first female nonstop solo transatlantic flight from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland. "Lady Lindy" first captured the public's imagination when she became the first female passenger of a transatlantic flight in June 1928, followed by her solo round trip transcontinental flight in August 1928. She disappeared attempting an unprecedented aerial circumnavigation of the globe in 1937.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: slabbed: 4.25" x 7.25"
  • Medium: SP

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