Policeman Doll, 1905-1909, Earle Ovington's Mascot "Treize"
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Artifact Overview
Air mail pilot Earle Ovington adopted this doll as his personal mascot, carrying it with him on every flight. He named the doll, modeled after a French policeman, "Treize" -- the French word for "thirteen." It was Ovington's lucky number. He had "13" painted on his airplane's wings because, he recalled, no other pilot dared to use that particular number.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Cloth doll
Date Made
1905-1909
Creators
Place of Creation
Location
at Henry Ford Museum in Heroes of the Sky
Object ID
36.33.7
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of P.G. Morriss
Material
Felt (Textile)
Leather
Metal
Wood (Plant material)
Color
Black (Color)
Blue
Dimensions
Height: 14 in
Width: 4 in
Depth: 5 in
Inscriptions
Metal button backside of left ear: STEIFF
In marker on bottom of right shoe: 13
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Related Content
SetEarle Ovington: “Air Mail Pilot No. 1”
- 13 Artifacts
In 1910, while attending the first international aviation meet held in the United States, Earle Ovington (1879-1936) decided to become a pilot. During his short but successful career as an exhibition flyer, Ovington achieved an impressive string of aviation firsts – most notably, piloting the first U.S. Air Mail flight operated by the Post Office Department.