Portrait of Charles Lindbergh and his plane, "The Spirit of St. Louis", ca.1925

Photographic portrait of Charles Lindbergh and his plane, "The Spirit of St. Louis", ca.1925. Mr. Lindbergh is standing parade-rest next to his plane which is behind him. He can be seen wearing breeches, and a shirt and tie underneath a jacket. He is turned slightly to the right. "N-X-211, Ryan NYP" is painted on the rear tail of the plane while the front of the plane reads, "Spirit of St. Louis". A grass field is visible into the background. Caption reads: "Welcome Lindy".; "The 'Spirit of St. Louis' was designed by Donald Hall under the direct supervision of Charles Lindbergh. It is a highly modified version of a conventional Ryan M-2 strut-braced monoplane, powered by a reliable Wright J-5C engine. Because the fuel tanks were located ahead of the cockpit for safety in case of an accident, Lindbergh could not see directly ahead, except by using a periscope on the left side or by turning the airplane and looking out a side window. The two tubes beneath the fuselage are flare dispensers that were installed for Lindbergh's flights to Latin America and the Caribbean. 'Spirit of St. Louis' was named in honor of Lindbergh's supporters in St. Louis, Missouri, who paid for the aircraft. "NYP" is an acronym for "New York-Paris," the object of the flight." -- unknown author