Ashtray, Lindbergh, King Collection

A hand-made oval ashtray with two round holding points, one at each end. The middle of the tray has a stamped image of the Spirit of St. Louis and the text "New York-Paris Lindbergh 1927" inside of a ring of small circles. The same circle pattern runs along the edge of the tray.

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.