[AVIATION - GRAF ZEPPELIN WORLD FLIGHT]. HEARST NEWSPAPERS PUBLICITY PHOTOGRAPH FOR AROUND THE WORLD VIA GRAF ZEPPELIN
Stock no. RP-000026
[AVIATION - GRAF ZEPPELIN WORLD FLIGHT]. HEARST NEWSPAPERS PUBLICITY PHOTOGRAPH FOR AROUND THE WORLD VIA GRAF ZEPPELIN
Talking Picture Epics, Inc. Publicity photograph of the German airship LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin, issued for the motion picture Around the World Via Graf Zeppelin and produced under the auspices of Hearst Newspapers, circa 1929. Black-and-white press photograph, approximately 8.1 x 10.1 inches (205 x 256 mm).
The photograph presents the Graf Zeppelin illuminated against a nearly black background, its immense hull filling the composition from the rounded nose to the tail. The name "GRAF ZEPPELIN" is clearly visible along the side, with the registration "D-LZ127" nearer the bow. A mooring structure and small figures or ground equipment provide a striking sense of scale. The image was prepared as publicity for a synchronized-sound documentary chronicling the airship's celebrated 1929 circumnavigation.
The printed recto credit reads: "Talking Picture Epics, Inc., Frank R. Wilson, Pres. presents AROUND THE WORLD VIA. GRAF ZEPPELIN Produced under Auspices Hearst Newspapers." The reverse is filed in pencil as "AVIATION—DIRIGIBLES" and "GRAF-ZEP.," with red editorial underlining and arrows. A purple stamp reads "RECEIVED EXAMINER REFERENCE LIBRARY JAN 15 1930," documenting its arrival in the San Francisco Examiner picture library soon after the film's release.
Graf Zeppelin's August 1929 round-the-world flight was sponsored in part by William Randolph Hearst's publishing organization, which secured extensive reporting and motion-picture coverage of the voyage. Around the World Via Graf Zeppelin transformed that expedition into a theatrical record, combining moving images with the voices of the travelers. This photograph therefore documents both a landmark in long-distance air travel and the modern publicity network through which the feat reached newspaper and cinema audiences.
From the Eric C. Caren Archive.