[AVIATION - TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT]. COMMANDER RICHARD E. BYRD PORTRAYED AS HE PREPARED TO FLY THE AMERICA ACROSS THE ATLANTIC

[AVIATION - TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT]. COMMANDER RICHARD E. BYRD PORTRAYED AS HE PREPARED TO FLY THE AMERICA ACROSS THE ATLANTIC

Unidentified photographer. Black-and-white press photograph of Commander Richard E. Byrd, circa June 1927. Approx. 4.7 x 6.5 inches (120 x 164 mm). The reverse carries a contemporary caption dated 29 June 1927 and a later Daily Mirror Library stamp.

Byrd faces the camera in a close portrait, wearing a fur-trimmed leather flying cap and a dark flight suit with a tie. The tight framing emphasizes his expression and flight gear. The image is clear, with light surface spotting and wear visible in the scan; the sheet shows age toning and minor edge wear.

The reverse caption reads: "BYRD STARTS HIS ATLANTIC FLIGHT TO EUROPE. Commander Richard E. Byrd, accompanied by three companions, is reported to have started his Atlantic flight this morning. PHOTO SHOWS: A new photograph of Commander Byrd received from America this morning. 29/6/27." A Daily Mirror Library stamp is dated 14 June 1936.

On 29 June 1927 Byrd and his three crewmates departed Roosevelt Field aboard the Fokker America, aiming for Paris. Fog prevented them from locating the city; they landed safely near Ver-sur-Mer on the French coast after nearly forty hours. The flight carried the first official U.S. airmail across the Atlantic, linking the portrait to a major step in long-distance aviation and commercial air transport.

The dated caption and library stamp preserve a useful trace of the photograph's passage from an American press image into a British newspaper archive. The reverse wording records the image as a newly received portrait at the moment Byrd's Atlantic attempt began.

From the Eric C. Caren Archive.