Lot 719
Wright, Wilbur (1867-1912) Aviation pioneer. With his brother Orville, he invented and built the first successful powered, piloted and controlled airplane which they flew on December 17, 1903 near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Wilbur died of typhoid fever in 1912, making his autograph much rarer than Orville's, who died in 1948.
French weekly news magazine signed "Yours truly Wilbur Wright," no place, no date, being the August 21, 1908 issue of La Vie Illustrée. The cover features a photo of Wilbur Wright in flight at Le Mans, France, where he made his first flight in Europe on August 8, 1908. He had arrived in France in May but needed a couple of months to repair damage his plane had sustained in customs. Over the next year, he made more than 200 flights in Europe, where he dazzled crowds and was the recipient of numerous prizes and medals, including the Legion of Honor. Orville joined Wilbur in early 1909.
The article, on page 334, incorrectly states that Orville was the brother making the demonstrations, but a small photo correctly identifies Wilbur. The article says that Wright flew with "an admirable lightness" and admits that the Wright brothers were the first to fly and that they flew better than anyone else, but gives the opinion that they are merely more skilled than the French flying men and may be eclipsed themselves one day. The Wrights went on to Italy, where Wilbur trained Italian military pilots, and the first motion picture footage taken from an airplane in flight was filmed there.
Estimated Value $4,000 - 6,000.
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| Realized $5,280 |
