A RARE AND ICONIC SIGNED PHOTO OF WILBUR WRIGHT DURING THE WRIGHT BROTHERS FLIGHT AT LA MANS
Rare and outstanding 5.5 x 3.5 postcard photo showing Wilbur Wright and others preparing to fly at Le Mans, France, signed in the lower right in ink, “8 December 1908, Wilbur Wright.” In very good to fine condition.
In the course of delivering his Wright Flyer to a French syndicate, Wilbur Wright traveled to Le Mans to perform a series of flights that would prove his plane’s capabilities. On September 16, 1908, he set a new world record for distance and duration, flying 15.2 miles in 39 minutes. Later that day he marked another first when he flew his first passenger, French balloonist Ernest Zens. On the date of this image, he set a world endurance record of one hour and 31 minutes and 25 seconds over an estimated distance of 41 miles, a flight which won the Aero Club of France prize.