Auction Date:2012 Nov 29 @ 18:00 (UTC-5 : EST/CDT)
Location:5 Rt 101A Suite 5, Amherst, New Hampshire, 03031, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
Two original vintage notated photos. First glossy photo measures 5 x 3.75, is affixed to an 8.5 x 6.5 off-white mount, and shows a double wing kite high in the air. In the lower portion of the mount, Bell writes “Kite A in the air flying from flag pole on top of Beinn Bhreagh. Photograph taken June 15/98 at Circle Kite Station.” Reverse of the mount bears an unsigned glossy 4.5 x 3.5 photo of Bell posing outdoors, string in his hands, with a small kite near his feet. Second glossy photo measures 5 x 3.5, also affixed to an 8.5 x 6.5 mount, shows a similar style kite high in the air, apparently tethered to a flag pole, notated in the lower border by Bell, “Kite A in the air flying from flag-post on top of Beinn Bhreagh. Photograph taken June 15 1898 at the Circle Kite Station.” Bell has crossed out an incorrect date to the notation, initialing the change “AGB.” Some light finish wear to kite photos, rippling and surface mark to photo of Bell, and some light toning and soiling to mounts, otherwise fine condition.
When Alexander Graham Bell watched his friend Samuel Langley carry out early tests of his Aerodrome in the 1890s, the inventor’s mind turned to aviation. He began experimenting with kites made of many pyramid-like cells, which he called ‘tetrahedral kites,’ and believed they could be used as the basis for a heavier-than-air craft. Joining the race to design and build the first successful airplane, he assembled a small group of engineers and formed the Aerial Experiment Association (AEA). Though the AEA failed to beat the Wright brothers to success, they did make important contributions to early aviation (most notably Glenn Curtiss’s June Bug, which also brought extensive legal troubles from the famous brothers). These incredibly rare photos, holding Bell’s hand-written notes, offer a fascinating glimpse into the inventor’s lesser-known passion: aviation.
Auction Location:
5 Rt 101A Suite 5, Amherst, New Hampshire, 03031, United States
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