Sweatshirt, Lindbergh, King Collection

Black crewneck sweatshirt, on the front of the garment is a multi-colored embroidered copy of the Orteig Prize check that was presented to Charles A. Lindbergh for completing the New York to Paris flight, May 1927. It reads New York, June 17th, 1927, Bryant Park Bank, Pay to the Order of Charles A. Lindbergh, Twenty-five Thousand no/100 Dollars, Payable in funds currently at New York Clearing House, $25,000, (signed) Raymond Orteig. Additionally in the middle is a patch with the likeness of Charles Lindbergh from the time.

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.