Cigar Box, Lindbergh, King Collection

A rectangular wooden cigar box with a lid that is hinged by paper to the box. The edges of all sides of the box have a repeating pattern of "Spirit of St. Louis" and a shield with feathered wings against a red background. In the center of the lid there is a shield with wings below black lettering "Spirit of St. Louis" The smaller sides of the box have a color image of part of the Earth with New York on the left side and Paris on the right. "Spirit of St. Louis" appears in yellow text in the middle. The inside of the lid has the same image of the Earth as the sides of the box but larger. Above the image set against a blue sky with clouds is an image of the Spirit of St. Louis.

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.