On May 20-21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh literally flew into history when he crossed the Atlantic Ocean in his Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis, thus becoming the first pilot to fly solo and nonstop from New York to Paris. This flight made Lindbergh a household name and catapulted him into fame and celebrity. Composed of more than 400 artifacts and archival items, this collection illustrates the popular culture phenomenon that turned the reserved young pilot from Minnesota into the first media superstar of the 20th century. The colorful assortment of commemorative toys, pins, games, bottles, jewelry, hats and pennants was collected by Lindbergh enthusiast Stanley King over several decades and donated to the museum in 2002. Most of the items were mass-merchandised to the public as Lindbergh toured the United States and Latin America in the years immediately following the New York-to-Paris flight. The artifacts and archival material reflect the public adulation for Lindbergh and the powerful commercial response to his celebrity. More than 75 years after the Spirit's historic flight, Lindbergh's name still has the power help sell manufactured goods

NASM.2010.0022

Arranged and described by Patricia Williams and Kristin Harley in 2010, encoded by Jessamyn Lloyd in 2010.

King, Stanley.

1927-1939

Stanley King, Gift, 2002, NASM.2010.0022

6.05 Cubic feet (16 boxes)

This collection consists of approximately 6.05 cubic feet of material relating to Charles Lindbergh including photograph albums; scrapbooks; postcards; photographs; philately; sheet music; records; film; CDs (data and audio); videotapes; flyers; articles; advertisements; reception ephemera; magazines; and labels.

No restrictions on access.

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scrapbooks

Ephemera

Photograph albums

Sheet music

The Stanley King collection was donated to the Museum in 2002, and the archival material was later transferred to the Archives. The archival material includes photograph albums; scrapbooks; postcards; photographs; philately; sheet music; records; film; CDs (data and audio); videotapes; flyers; articles; advertisements; reception ephemera; magazines; and labels. The thirteen photo albums, arranged chronologically from 1927-1938, include some lovely photographs of Anne Lindbergh and their flights in the Lockheed Sirius "Tingmissartoq;" Lindbergh's tour through Mexico and South America; and the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh, Jr. and the subsequent trial. The four scrapbooks consists of newspaper clippings (with a few pieces of sheet music) relating mostly to the 1927 flight.

Scrapbooks

Ephemera

Photograph albums

Sheet music

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis"

Lindbergh, Anne Morrow, 1906-2001

Lindbergh, Charles A. (Charles Augustus), 1902-1974

Charles Lindbergh Memorabilia [Stanley King] Collection, NASM.2010.0022, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

National Air and Space Museum Archives