Fascinating unpublished photographic archive comprised of 27 matte-finish candid photos of Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, during their famous 1933 survey of Greenland, taken by New York photographer Raoul 'Ral' Echeverria and affixed to both sides of four 11 x 14 scrapbook pages. The majority measure 5 x 3.25 or 3.25 x 5, with one larger 7 x 9 image showing the Lindberghs standing side-by-side on the deck of a ship. The subjects of the smaller images include their seaplane, a kayak journey, both of the Lindberghs individually, and visits with various people.
Charles Lindbergh himself can be seen in a dozen photographs, including: two of him prepping a plane wing with some young assistants; two of him near his plane's propeller, apparently filling the aircraft with fuel; one of him shirtless and sitting on the beach; one showing him in a life jacket, climbing on the plane's wing; one of him from afar as they prepare for kayaking; and five of him posing with various groups. Anne appears in almost as many images. In addition to the images of Lindbergh with his aircraft, the seaplane alone is the main subject of three images, with its wing seen in two more with a primary focus of glaciers floating in the nearby water, near Angmagssalik, Greenland. Prominently displayed in one of these wing images is the plane's registration number, "NR-211," identifying it as their Lockheed Model 8 Sirius which was christened 'Tingmissartoq' during this trip to Greenland. Two other photos of particular interest are a close-up of Anne Morrow Lindbergh in the cockpit of a plane, and an aerial view of the glacial landscape. Noticeable vertical creases to a few photos (including the larger one), otherwise overall fine condition. This was a significant trip, as the Lindberghs were conducting a survey across the North and South Atlantic to gather information for planning commercial air routes—during this time they covered 19,000 miles and 23 different countries. It was during their stop in Greenland that the plane was named ‘Tingmissartoq’ by an Inuit boy, meaning ‘one who flies like a big bird.’ Of historical significance are the two photos of this Inuit boy painting the plane in white with the name ‘Tingmissartoq.’ A fantastic group of photographs capturing several relaxed, private moments from this historic trip.
Terms and abbreviations used in our descriptions.