2-D - Unframed (H x W): 43.2 x 27.9cm (17 x 11 in.)
Type:
MEMORABILIA-Popular Culture
Physical Description:
A metal sign with a hole in each corner. The top half of the sign features an image of a train on railroad tracks with the Spirit of St. Louis flying overhead. Below this image there is red lettering "The Spirit of St. Louis" Black text below the red tells of the naming of two famous trains being renamed The Spirit of St. Louis and how they will now run between St. Louis and New York. To the right of this text is a white box with black text that gives the train schedules for the Eastbound and Westbound trains. Below the black text red lettering reads "Pennsylvania Railroad" The red lettering and the image are stamped into the metal.
Summary:
On May 20-21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh literally flew into history when he crossed the Atlantic Ocean in his Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis, thus becoming the first pilot to fly solo and nonstop from New York to Paris. This flight made Lindbergh a household name and catapulted him into fame and celebrity. The objects of popular culture in the National Collection display everything from ashtrays to wristwatches reflect the public adulation for Lindbergh and the powerful commercial response to his celebrity. More than 75 years after the Spirit's historic flight, Lindbergh's name still has the power help sell manufactured goods.
