Rare original vintage circa 1908 matte-finish 19.5 x 16.25 photograph of the Wright Flyer soaring over the field at Camp d'Auvours during Wilbur's record flight of September 21, 1908. The tower of the launching mechanism is in view to the left, among a group of onlookers, and the photograph signed in the lower right in ink by photographer Maurice-Louis Branger, "M. Branger." Displayed in a contemporary frame to an overall size of 21.5 x 18. In fine condition.
This image appears in the the two-book set The Papers of Wilbur & Orville Wright in Volume Two as Plate 168, captioned: 'Camp d'Avours, 6 P.M., September 21, 1908—Wilbur Wright's record flight of 1 hour 31 minutes 25 4/5 seconds.' Later that year, Wright would fly for 2 hours and 19 minutes. The 'catapult' built by the Wright Brothers, used to assist the launch of their pioneering plane, is shown prominently in this unusually large photograph for the era. Using a simple system of weight and pulleys to provide motive force, the launch tower apparatus was necessary to achieve enough initial speed for sustained powered flight.
