Lillian Boyer Performing Stunts with an Airplane in Flight, circa 1922

THF111414 / Lillian Boyer Performing Stunts with an Airplane in Flight, circa 1922
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

Photographic print

Date Made

circa 1922

Subject Date

circa 1922

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

68.160.1.25

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Harry Schlee

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 3.625 in
Width: 4.625 in

02

Related Content

  • Amelia Earhart in the Cockpit of Her Avro-Avian Biplane from Lady Heath, 1928
    Set

    Pioneering 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.
  • THF111414 / Lillian Boyer Performing Stunts with an Airplane in Flight, circa 1922
    article

    Just 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.