OVA - POSTAL HISTORY • AVIATION HEROES

Specialist: Guillaume Romaneix

Charles LINDBERGH, Jean MERMOZ, Antoine de SAINT EXUPERY, the Wright Brothers… These aviation heroes, modern time adventurers, will be honoured during the 3rd auction organised during the Aristophil Collection dispersion. Orchestrated by Artcurial, this unique page of our past will be brought to well-deserved light, under Francis Briest’s gavel. The majority of the pieces presented at auction bear witness to an important part of history: the conquest of the air ways by the Compagnie française aéropostale pilots. The story of these men, sometimes tragically disappearing in the exercise of their mission, exceeds postal history to reach literature. This is the case of Antoine de Saint Exupery in particular, author of the second most translated book in the world after the Bible, The Little Prince. With 49 autographed works, this auction is the most important in the world devoted to pilots for decades.

 

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Over the 1920’s, the Aéropostale achieves an age-old dream- the dream of a transatlantic airline devoted not only to postal service but also to passenger transport. Thanks to the courage of its first pilots, true aviation heroes, the company develops with lines toward Africa, North and South America. Their exploits are followed by the general public through regular newspaper accounts of their adventures, building over time a legend where the pilots become intrepid and bold heroes. The sales catalogue includes, for example, the manuscript of a telegram from Jean Mermoz to the President of the Aeropostale relating to his return after his first crossing of the South Atlantic from 12th to 13th May 1930 (estimate: €3,000 – 5,000), or the autographed manuscript of the speech that he gave at his arrival at the end of a 21 hours and 10-minute flight (estimate: €20,000 – 30,000). On a more personal note, an autobiographical manuscript in which he recounts his arrival and settling at the School of Military Aviation of Istres, in October 1920, his first flying lesson, his training and first solo flight (estimate: €30,000 – 40,000).





 

The company’s most famous pilot is without a doubt Antoine de Saint Exupery. He relates his day to day life in his novel Vol de Nuit. This auction presents the first time in decades that so many precious manuscripts, drawings and watercolours of the author of The Little Prince are gathered together. In particular, Artcurial offers a two-page draft of this universally known work, including unpublished passages and variants of the text published in April 1943 (estimate: €180,000 – 250,000).

In addition, the author’s work is particularly represented. The Little Prince himself, drawn in watercolour, is acutely visible in a correspondence between Antoine de SAINT EXUPERY and a young woman (11 pages, estimate: €150,000 – 200,000), toward 1942. It is probably the last correspondence from the author before his disappearance. It reveals a poet tormented by an impossible love, taking refuge in the guise of his famous character.

  In his previous works, he sketches discoveries made over the missions. This is the case of the sketch book Les Copains. Casablanca (Morocco). 37e aviation, dated November 1921 (estimate: €120,000 – 150,000). It contains 37 drawings on 30 pages and is collected while Antoine de SAINT EXUPERY prepares for his military pilot license in North Africa. He passes the exam in December of the same year. He draws to alleviate the boredom. “I do not know what has come over me: I draw all day long and because of this, days seem shorter to me. I discovered what I was born for: the Conté crayon coal tip.» This book is all the more exceptional as the particular period of Saint Exupery’s life is relatively unknown. In it we discover the portraits of his friends and companions, reading, playing cards, sleeping or carrying out their daily activities.

  Still in illustrations, a series of 51 original drawings (estimate: €150,000 – 200,000) made for Renée of Saussine during a stay in South America in the years 1929-1930. Other exceptional work offered at auction, the draft manuscript of Chapter VII of Terre des Hommes (estimate: €180,000 – 250,000). This text, entitled « Au centre du désert », is both a beautiful testimony of SAINT EXUPERY on a decisive episode of his life as a pilot, and one of the most picturesque passages of the work of this incomparable writer. The manuscript is therefore of both historical and literary importance. It corresponds to the 6 articles on his recent aircraft accident in the Libyan desert that SAINT EXUPERY published in exclusivity in L’Intransigeant from 30th January to 4th February 1936. This intense story will be amply redesigned to form chapter 7 of Terre des Hommes.

The auction begins with an aviation pioneer. The first lot is a tribute to the visionary Charles Lindbergh. It includes a set of technical archives (plans, drawings, test flight log books, scientific documentation) and maps relating to the American’s exploit between 20th and 21nd May 1927. The pilot of the Spirit of St. Louis is the first person to travel from New York to Paris solo without stopover, in 33 hours and 30 minutes. The documents are estimated between € 300,000 and 400,000. A few years prior to this event, the 17 December 1903, two brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first aircraft powered flight in North Carolina, USA. The last three lots in the sale evoke relate to the men. In particular, a typewritten letter signed by Orville Wright (estimate: €5,000 – 7,000), to Fred L. Black of the Institute Edison of Dearborn, Michigan). The author responds to the false allegation made by Gustave Whitehead claiming to be the first to fly a motorised plane in August 1901. Dated from 1937, it precedes a formal statement by Orville Wright, published in August 1945 in US air services, in which he dismisses the false affirmations of Gustave Whitehead.

  

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