Fabric Sample from the 1903 Wright Flyer
01
Artifact Overview
The Wright brothers abandoned most of their early aircraft but preserved the 1903 Flyer because of its historic significance. The Flyer was damaged in a 1913 flood and re-covered with new fabric. Orville Wright kept pieces of the original material. This fragment is from the original wing covering, as used on the first flight of December 17, 1903.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Sample
Date Made
1987
Subject Date
17 December 1903
Place of Creation
Creator Notes
Certified by Harold S. Miller and Ivonette Wright Miller, Dayton, Ohio.
Location
at Henry Ford Museum in Heroes of the Sky
Object ID
87.8.1.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Muslin
Color
Beige (Color)
Dimensions
Height: 11 in
Width: 8.5 in
Inscriptions
1903 WRIGHT | " KITTY HAWK" | ORIGINAL FABRIC
PRESENTED TO | Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village
When Orville Wright presented the Kitty Hawk machine for public exhibition, the original fabric had to be replaced, as it had been under water during the Dayton Flood of 1913. He substituted new fabric of identical material. After his death in 1948, we found that he had preserved some of the original coverings of the wings. We certify that this piece of fabric was used by Orville and Wilbur Wright on 17 December 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in the world's first heavier-than-air flights in which man achieved free, controlled, powered, and sustained flight.
[signed] | HAROLD S. MILLER | CO-EXECUTOR, ORVILLE WRIGHT ESTATE
[signed] | IVONETTE WRIGHT MILLER | NIECE, WILBUR AND ORVILLE WRIGHT
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