Textile, Lindbergh, King Collection

A piece of cloth with images and text in red. The images are arranged in a pattern of vertical columns alternating by rows. All of the images are enclosed in oval shaped frames that have banners below them reading names of cities or the name of the aircraft. Most of the images are of the Spirit of St. Louis flying over a city, the Eiffel Tower, or they show the airplane flying above the Atlantic Ocean or the state of California. The other image in some of the ovals is an image of Lindbergh.

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.