Air Show Poster, Miss Lillian Boyer, "Empress of the Air," 1926
THF256280 / Air Show Poster, Miss Lillian Boyer, "Empress of the Air," 1926
01
Artifact Overview
Would you climb out on the wing of an airplane? In 1921, Lillian Boyer did after only her second time in the air. This fearless decision led her to become a wing walker, performing death-defying aerial feats. She hung by her teeth, ankles, and toes. She balanced on her head. She even changed planes in midair. Her stunts garnered headlines wherever she performed.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Poster
Date Made
1926
Subject Date
1926
Collection Title
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
68.160.5
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Harry Schlee
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Printing (Process)
Photolithography
Dimensions
Height: 28 in
Width: 11.75 in
Keywords |
|---|
02
Related Content
SetBarnstormers
- 20 Artifacts
Barnstorming aerial performers thrilled audiences in the 1920s with death-defying "aerobatic" stunts. Equipped with war-surplus airplanes and steely nerves, they toured the country giving many Americans their first in-person experiences with aviation. Most barnstormers barely eked out a living, but a few found wealth and fame. By decade's end, aging aircraft, fading novelty, and growing government regulation largely ended the barnstorming era.
SetPioneering Female Aviators
- 29 Artifacts
World-renowned Irish pilot Mary, Lady Heath, was an inspiration to Amelia Earhart. After Lady Heath took Earhart for a flight in her Avro Avian biplane, which Heath had flown solo from South Africa to Great Britain, Earhart was so impressed that she bought the aircraft and shipped it back to the United States. Soon Earhart's own fame eclipsed Lady Heath's.
articleJust Added to Our Digital Collections: Lillian Boyer Photographs
Aerial stunt performer Lillian Boyer (1901–89) performed stunts including wing walking, parachuting, and transferring herself from moving automobiles to flying planes. We’ve just added a selection of photos of Boyer to our Digital Collections.