Description:

Wilbur Wright
n.p. but probably at or near Le Mans, France, December 8, 1908
Wilbur Wright Signed Postcard, "La Conquête de l'Air," Depicting Le Mans Aviation Demonstration Dated 3 Weeks Before Winning Michelin Cup
SP
A vintage French-language aviation postcard, boldly signed and dated by American aviator Wilbur Wright (1867-1912) as: "8 December 1908 / Wilbur Wright" in the upper right corner recto. December 8, 1908. N.d. but probably Le Mans, France. The black and white matte image shows one of Wilbur Wright's aviation demonstrations at or near Le Mans. The photograph is attributed to Cliché Branger, referring to French photographer Maurice-Louis Branger (1874-1950), and was published by Neurdein et Cie. ("ND"), a French postcard publishing firm established in 1864. The two-column postcard back, divided between "Correspondence" and "Address" sections, is blank. Expected minor wear including toning. A small piece of old adhesive tape is located along the top edge and affects five words of the printed caption. Else near fine. 5.5" x 3.5."

Wilbur Wright autographed pieces are rarer and more desirable than Orville Wright autographed pieces.

The photograph shows the 1907 Wright Flyer on the ground at Camp d'Auvours, a military training camp located about 7 miles east Le Mans, in northwestern France. A small party of men is standing beside the grounded plane, which is positioned in front of a towering launching derrick at left. The caption in French reads, translated: "THE CONQUEST OF THE AIR / The Wright Airplane and its launching pylon / 47 A counter-weight, joined by a cable and returning pulleys, / to the front of the Airplane, is raised to the highest part of the pylon; its descent pulls the Airplane / on its sliding rail and produces the launch. - ND Phot. / Cliché Branger." Numerously called or likened to a derrick, pylon, or type of catapult, this triangular tower-like structure enabled the plane to attain its requisite launching speed. The force of the drop of the counterweight atop the launching derrick pulled the airplane across the ground until it reached sufficient flying speed to launch into the air.

Wilbur Wright had traveled to Europe in late May 1908 to undertake flying demonstrations and other air trials which might persuade the French government to invest in the Wright Flyer, five years after the brothers' initial success at Kitty Hawk. Over the course of five months and at least nine demonstrations, Wright showed French audiences what the Flyer could do; the crowd of observers grew from 200 attendees at the first demonstration, to approximately 100,000 bystanders per day during the later trials. Meanwhile, younger brother Orville Wright completed testing at Fort Meyer, Virginia to increase the Flyer's public profile in the United States.

Three weeks after signing the postcard, Wilbur Wright successfully flew the Wright Flyer along a triangular course at Camp d'Auvours. The continuous flight covered 77 miles and took more than 2hr20 minutes to complete, breaking records for distance and duration. Wilbur Wright was awarded the 1908 Michelin Cup, with its 20,000-franc prize, after the important flight.

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: 5.5" x 3.5"
  • Medium: SP

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