Centenary of flight

Jean Gardner Batten
by John Nye
1930s
NPG x15076

Until 8 June 2004
Rooms 23 & 31

On 17 December 1903 the American brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright became the first to fly in a heavier-than-air machine at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This display celebrates the centenary of their flight.

The photographs shown here have been acquired over the last 50 years and have most recently been supplemented by five acquisitions from the photographer Dan Patterson who has collaborated with Air-Vice Marshal Ron Dick in the publishing of The Early Years, the first book of a 5 volume series The Aviation Century (The Boston Mills Press, Toronto, Canada, 2003).

This selection of photographs of famous British aviators is supplemented by another display in Room 23. There is also a special feature on the Woodward Portrait Explorer in the IT Gallery showing over 70 more portraits on the Space and Aviation Professional Category button and also more aviators on the Airmen and Airwomen Group button.

Elsewhere in this gallery there can be seen a further selection of Aviator's portraits that form part of the permanent display. These include Longstaff's portrait of Amy Johnson, Salisbury's of Sir Alan Cobham and McEvoy's of Sir John Alcock as well as a bronze statuette of Albert Ball, VC by Henry Poole.