Wilbur Wright Signed Postcard, "La Conquête de l'Air"

Wilbur Wright n.p. but probably at or near Le Mans, France, December 8, 1908 Wilbur Wright Signed Postcard, "La Conquête de l'Air," Depicting Le Mans Aviation Demonstration Dated 3 Weeks Before Winning Michelin Cup SP A vintage French-language aviation postcard, boldly signed and dated by American aviator Wilbur Wright (1867-1912) as: "8 December 1908 / Wilbur Wright" in the upper right corner recto.

The black and white matte image shows one of Wilbur Wright's aviation demonstrations at or near Le Mans. The photograph is attributed to Cliché Branger, referring to French photographer Maurice-Louis Branger (1874-1950), and was published by Neurdein et Cie. ("ND"), a French postcard publishing firm established in 1864. The photograph shows the 1907 Wright Flyer on the ground at Camp d'Auvours, a military training camp located about 7 miles east Le Mans, in northwestern France.

A small party of men is standing beside the grounded plane, which is positioned in front of a towering launching derrick at left. The caption in French reads, translated: "THE CONQUEST OF THE AIR / The Wright Airplane and its launching pylon / 47 A counter-weight, joined by a cable and returning pulleys, / to the front of the Airplane, is raised to the highest part of the pylon; its descent pulls the Airplane / on its sliding rail and produces the launch. - ND Phot. / Cliché Branger."

Numerously called or likened to a derrick, pylon, or type of catapult, this triangular tower-like structure enabled the plane to attain its requisite launching speed. The force of the drop of the counterweight atop the launching derrick pulled the airplane across the ground until it reached sufficient flying speed to launch into the air. Three weeks after signing the postcard, Wilbur Wright successfully flew the Wright Flyer along a triangular course at Camp d'Auvours.