Leon Bollee Sitting at the Controls of the Wright Flyer at Camp d'Auvours, near Le Mans, France, 1908-1909
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Artifact Overview
Leon Bollee was a close and important friend to Wilbur Wright during Wright's airplane demonstrations in France in 1908. Bollee offered Wright workspace and a crew of mechanics in his Le Mans automobile factory, and he asked for nothing in return. Nevertheless, Wright repaid the favor by taking Bollee up for a flight.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Negative (Photograph)
Subject Date
1908-1909
Creators
Place of Creation
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
2000.53.93
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Glass (Material)
Technique
Gelatin dry plate process
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 7 in
Width: 5 in
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Related Content
SetThe Wrights: Wowing the World
- 20 Artifacts
Wilbur Wright's many demonstration flights in France in 1908 and 1909 were spectacular events. Some in Europe had begun to doubt the Wrights' achievement at Kill Devil Hills. When Wilbur took to the skies over Le Mans, demonstrating more control and achieving more distance than his rivals, crowds flocked to watch his apparent mastery of the airplane. The skeptics were silenced.