1910 Manuscript Political Cartoon Celebrating the Harvard Boston Aero Meet

This is a 1910 cartoon celebrating the Harvard Boston Aero Meet. The Harvard Boston Aero Meet, jointly organized by the Aero Club of New England and the Harvard Aeronautical Society, was scheduled to take place between September 3rd and 13th, 1910, but proved so popular that it was extended two extra days. Twenty-two aviators from around the world descended on Squantum Field in Massachusetts to compete in various competitions, including contests testing which pilot could stay aloft the longest, bomb dropping accuracy, take off distance, and landing precision.

The Flight to the Boston Light and Back

The cartoon focuses on one specific contest promoted by the Boston Globe in which a pilot was challenged to fly from the airfield to the Boston Light and back for a prize of $10,000, a fortune in 1910. This flight covered a little more than twelve miles one way, which totals twenty-five miles round trip. By today's standards, this does not appear to be much of an accomplishment. However, in 1910, twenty-five miles over open water took courage and a belief in your machine. Claude Grahame-White's two flights around the Boston Light were considered an impressive feat. Claude Grahame-White was the only aviator at the meet willing to make an attempt. Grahame-White took off for the light at 4:35 p.m. and successfully completed his first trip out to the Light, on which, per the cartoon, he did not take a direct route. He returned to the field, circled once, and then flew straight to the light and back, setting a much faster time. Precautions were taken, including lining the route with boats to help him if his plane were to crash in the bay. When he touched down, the assembled crowd of over 10,000 people was in hysterics and the band struck up 'God Save the King.' Grahame-White ended up winning some of the other events and placing second in others, making his complete winnings at the Aero Meet over $22,000.

Claude Grahame-White

Claude Grahame-White (August 21, 1879 - August 19, 1959), an English aviator, was a pioneer in the field of aviation and over the course of his career set many flying records. He was one of the first people to qualify as a pilot in England, was the first to make a night flight, and gained fame when he competed against Louis Paulhan, a French Pilot, in 1910 in a contest sponsored by the Daily Mail for the first flight from London to Manchester in under twenty-four hours for a £10,000 prize. Paulhan won, but Grahame-White was also highly praised. He formed an aircraft company in 1911, which was involved in aerodromes and aircraft design, development, and construction. Grahame-White was also involved in promoting aviation as a combat asset during World War I, experimented with fitting different armaments and bombs to planes, and during his service in World War I he flew the first night patrol mission on September 5, 1914.

Publication History and Census

This cartoon was drawn by an unknown artist in 1910. It is a manuscript piece, suggesting that it was created for publication to commemorate Grahame-White's accomplishment. However, we have been unable to locate any published examples, making this piece an incredibly rare part of early aviation history.