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Painting/Early Birds mural
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Identifier2006-02-13_object_001Parts2006-02-13_object_001_01Accession Number2006-2-13Catalog Number2006-2-13/1Object NamePaintingDescriptionThe Early Bird mural is an oil painting on fabric support . It depicts pioneers and craft that played an important part in the advancement of aviation. Painting has a blue wood frame.
Mural Key, L to R:
1. John Stringfelow’s design for a steam-powered model airplane, 1848.
2. Clément Ader’s Éole made a short hop into the air at Gretz-Armainvilliers, France; 9 Oct. 1890.
3. William Samuel Henson’s design for an “Aerial Steam Carriage,” 1842.
4. Besnier’s human-powered ornithopter, one of the earliest documented attempts at human flight; Sablé, France; 1678.
5. The Montgolfier brothers’ hot-air balloon, the world’s first man-carrying aircraft; Versailles, France; 15 Oct. 1783.
6. Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, the world’s first aircraft pilot (15 Oct. 1783) and the world’s first aircraft fatality (15 June 1785).
7. A page from one of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, showing some of his designs for flying machines, 1500.
8. Father Francesco de Lana de Terzi’s design for a lighter-than-air craft, 1670.
9. Charles M. Manly’s 5-cylinder, 52-hp. engine propelled Samuel P. Langley’s unsuccessful Great Aerodrome, 1903.
10. The Wright brothers’ bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio.
11. The Wright brothers’ 1902 glider makes the world’s first fully controlled flight, 8 Oct. 1902.
12. Orville Wright makes the world’s first powered, controlled, and sustained flight of a heavier-than-air, man-carrying aircraft, 17 Dec. 1903; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
13. The Wright brothers’ hangar at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
14. Orville Wright demonstrates the Wright Type A to the U.S. Army at Fort Myer, Virginia; Sept. 1908.
15. Dirigible Balloon No. 1, the U.S. Army’s first airship, built by Thomas. S. Baldwin, 1908.
16. One of Thaddeus S.C. Lowe’s observation balloons used during the American Civil War, 1861-1865.
17. Lawrence B. Sperry demonstrates his company’s automatic-pilot device by climbing out onto the wing of a Curtiss flying boat while in flight, 1913.
18. Glenn H. Curtiss flies nonstop from Albany, New York to New York City, 29 May 1910.
19. Eugene B. Ely, the world’s first aviator to launch an airplane from a ship (U.S.S. Birmingham, 14 Nov. 1910) and to land an airplane aboard a ship (U.S.S. Pennsylvania, 18 Jan. 1911).
20. The seaplane built by Edson F. Gallaudet for the U.S. Army, 1913.
21. Lt. Cdr. Albert C. Read pilots the U.S. Navy’s Curtiss NC-4 in the world’s first aerial crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, 8-27 May 1919.
22. Leslie L. Irvin demonstrates J. Floyd Smith’s free-fall, pack-type parachute, McCook Army Air Field, Ohio, 28 April 1919.
23. Charles A. Lindbergh makes the first solo, nonstop flight from New York to Paris in his Ryan NYP, 20-21 May 1927.
24. Lt. John A. Macready and Lt. Oakley G. Kelly, USAS, fly a Fokker T-2 on the first coast-to-coast, nonstop flight across the USA, 2-3 May 1923.
25. Lt. Russell L. Maughan, USAS, makes the first transcontinental flight across the USA between dawn and dusk, 23 June 1924.
26. Using in-flight refueling, Maj. Carl A. Spaatz, Capt. Ira C. Eaker, and Lt. Elwood Quesada, USAC, fly the Question Mark, a Fokker C-2A, to an unofficial world endurance record of 150 hrs., 40 min., 15 sec.; 1-7 January 1929.
27. The Glenn Martin Bomber tested in 1918 by Roy N. Francis for his proposed flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
28. The USAS’s four Douglas World Cruisers depart Seattle, 4 April 1924, attempting the first aerial circumnavigation of the world. Only the New Orleans would complete the journey, 28 Sept. 1924.
29. The nose of a Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny,” the type of airplane that trained most American military pilots during World War I.
30. Lt. Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, USA, learned to fly from Orville Wright in 1911 and went on to command the USAAF during World War II.
31. Lt. John H. Towers, USN, learned to fly from Glenn Curtiss in 1911 and spent his entire career leading Naval Aviation, retiring as an Admiral in 1947.
32. Clarence A. DeGiers received Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Aviator’s License No. 77 in 1911. Mr. DeGiers commissioned this painting in 1940.
33. Glenn H. Curtiss designed the first “stepped” pontoon for an airplane, 1911, and won the first two Collier Trophies, 1911 and 1912.
34. Thomas S. Baldwin, the pioneer American showman, aeronaut, parachute-jumper, and pilot of airships and airplanes.
35. A Curtiss air-cooled engine, the state of the art in aircraft powerplants, 1908-1909.
36. Frank T. Coffyn learned to fly from Orville Wright in 1910 and, as an original member of the Wright Exhibition Team, made his first solo flight in front of 120,000 spectators.
37. Wilbur Wright, the second man to pilot a heavier-than-air craft, 17 Dec. 1903; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
38. Orville Wright, the first person to make a powered, controlled, and sustained flight in a heavier-than-air craft, 17 Dec.1903.
39. Glenn L. Martin began building and flying airplanes in 1909 and founded the Glenn L. Martin Company (now part of Lockheed Martin).
40. Charles L. Lawrance pioneered the air-cooled aircraft engine and developed the legendary Wright Whirlwind that powered Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis.
41. Octave Chanute, the noted engineer and sponsor of early experiments in aviation. Chanute corresponded extensively with virtually all of aviation’s pioneers and conducted his own glider experiments in 1896.
42. Grover C. Loening , the first American to receive a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and founder of the Loening Aeronautical Engineering Corporation.
43. Edson F. Gallaudet founded the Gallaudet Aircraft Corporation, which became part of Consolidated Aircraft and, later, General Dynamics.
44. George A. Page, Jr. spent most of his career at the Curtiss-Wright Corp. where, among other aircraft, he designed the Curtiss C-46 Commando.
45. Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge, the U.S. Army’s first aviator. While flying with Orville Wright at Fort Myer, Virginia, Selfridge became the first person to die in the crash of a powered airplane, 17 Sept. 1908.
46. Earle L. Ovington flew the first regularly scheduled air-mail service in America, between Garden City Estates and Mineola, New York; Sept. 1911.
47. Robert J. Collier, the publisher of Collier’s Weekly and founder of the Collier Trophy, sometimes called “the Nobel Prize for Aviation.”
48. A Moisant-built Blériot-type monoplane, 1911.
49. The insignia of The Early Birds of Aviation, the association of aviators who flew prior to 17 Dec. 1916.
Entries added to the original key (covering the part of the mural that was missing when the original key was written)
50. André-Jacques Garnerin made the world’s first successful descent by parachute, near Paris, France; 21 Oct. 1797.
51. Frederick Marriott’s steam-powered Avitor made the first-ever flight in the Western Hemisphere of a powered, lighter-than-air craft; Shell Mound Lake, California, 2 July 1869.
52. Charles E. “Charlie” Taylor’s 4-cylinder, 12-hp. engine that powered the Wright brothers’ first flight, 17 Dec. 1903.
53. A human-powered, vertical-lift device designed (but probably never built) by Leonardo da Vinci, 1490.
54. Design for a rotary-wing flying machine made by the French artist, photographer, and balloonist Félix Nadar, 1863.
55. Design for a “convertiplane,” 1843, by Sir George Cayley, often called “the Father of Aeronautics.”
56. Dropped from a hot-air balloon, Daniel J. Maloney pilots Professor John J. Montgomery’s tandem-wing glider to a safe landing at San Jose, California; March, 1905.MaterialCanvasWoodArtistGruelle, Justin C.Date1940DimensionsH: 85.5 in/W: 218 in/D: 3 inBibliographic CitationThe Museum of Flight CollectionRightsIn copyrightCatalog RecordView original catalog record
Mural Key, L to R:
1. John Stringfelow’s design for a steam-powered model airplane, 1848.
2. Clément Ader’s Éole made a short hop into the air at Gretz-Armainvilliers, France; 9 Oct. 1890.
3. William Samuel Henson’s design for an “Aerial Steam Carriage,” 1842.
4. Besnier’s human-powered ornithopter, one of the earliest documented attempts at human flight; Sablé, France; 1678.
5. The Montgolfier brothers’ hot-air balloon, the world’s first man-carrying aircraft; Versailles, France; 15 Oct. 1783.
6. Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, the world’s first aircraft pilot (15 Oct. 1783) and the world’s first aircraft fatality (15 June 1785).
7. A page from one of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, showing some of his designs for flying machines, 1500.
8. Father Francesco de Lana de Terzi’s design for a lighter-than-air craft, 1670.
9. Charles M. Manly’s 5-cylinder, 52-hp. engine propelled Samuel P. Langley’s unsuccessful Great Aerodrome, 1903.
10. The Wright brothers’ bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio.
11. The Wright brothers’ 1902 glider makes the world’s first fully controlled flight, 8 Oct. 1902.
12. Orville Wright makes the world’s first powered, controlled, and sustained flight of a heavier-than-air, man-carrying aircraft, 17 Dec. 1903; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
13. The Wright brothers’ hangar at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
14. Orville Wright demonstrates the Wright Type A to the U.S. Army at Fort Myer, Virginia; Sept. 1908.
15. Dirigible Balloon No. 1, the U.S. Army’s first airship, built by Thomas. S. Baldwin, 1908.
16. One of Thaddeus S.C. Lowe’s observation balloons used during the American Civil War, 1861-1865.
17. Lawrence B. Sperry demonstrates his company’s automatic-pilot device by climbing out onto the wing of a Curtiss flying boat while in flight, 1913.
18. Glenn H. Curtiss flies nonstop from Albany, New York to New York City, 29 May 1910.
19. Eugene B. Ely, the world’s first aviator to launch an airplane from a ship (U.S.S. Birmingham, 14 Nov. 1910) and to land an airplane aboard a ship (U.S.S. Pennsylvania, 18 Jan. 1911).
20. The seaplane built by Edson F. Gallaudet for the U.S. Army, 1913.
21. Lt. Cdr. Albert C. Read pilots the U.S. Navy’s Curtiss NC-4 in the world’s first aerial crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, 8-27 May 1919.
22. Leslie L. Irvin demonstrates J. Floyd Smith’s free-fall, pack-type parachute, McCook Army Air Field, Ohio, 28 April 1919.
23. Charles A. Lindbergh makes the first solo, nonstop flight from New York to Paris in his Ryan NYP, 20-21 May 1927.
24. Lt. John A. Macready and Lt. Oakley G. Kelly, USAS, fly a Fokker T-2 on the first coast-to-coast, nonstop flight across the USA, 2-3 May 1923.
25. Lt. Russell L. Maughan, USAS, makes the first transcontinental flight across the USA between dawn and dusk, 23 June 1924.
26. Using in-flight refueling, Maj. Carl A. Spaatz, Capt. Ira C. Eaker, and Lt. Elwood Quesada, USAC, fly the Question Mark, a Fokker C-2A, to an unofficial world endurance record of 150 hrs., 40 min., 15 sec.; 1-7 January 1929.
27. The Glenn Martin Bomber tested in 1918 by Roy N. Francis for his proposed flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
28. The USAS’s four Douglas World Cruisers depart Seattle, 4 April 1924, attempting the first aerial circumnavigation of the world. Only the New Orleans would complete the journey, 28 Sept. 1924.
29. The nose of a Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny,” the type of airplane that trained most American military pilots during World War I.
30. Lt. Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, USA, learned to fly from Orville Wright in 1911 and went on to command the USAAF during World War II.
31. Lt. John H. Towers, USN, learned to fly from Glenn Curtiss in 1911 and spent his entire career leading Naval Aviation, retiring as an Admiral in 1947.
32. Clarence A. DeGiers received Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Aviator’s License No. 77 in 1911. Mr. DeGiers commissioned this painting in 1940.
33. Glenn H. Curtiss designed the first “stepped” pontoon for an airplane, 1911, and won the first two Collier Trophies, 1911 and 1912.
34. Thomas S. Baldwin, the pioneer American showman, aeronaut, parachute-jumper, and pilot of airships and airplanes.
35. A Curtiss air-cooled engine, the state of the art in aircraft powerplants, 1908-1909.
36. Frank T. Coffyn learned to fly from Orville Wright in 1910 and, as an original member of the Wright Exhibition Team, made his first solo flight in front of 120,000 spectators.
37. Wilbur Wright, the second man to pilot a heavier-than-air craft, 17 Dec. 1903; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
38. Orville Wright, the first person to make a powered, controlled, and sustained flight in a heavier-than-air craft, 17 Dec.1903.
39. Glenn L. Martin began building and flying airplanes in 1909 and founded the Glenn L. Martin Company (now part of Lockheed Martin).
40. Charles L. Lawrance pioneered the air-cooled aircraft engine and developed the legendary Wright Whirlwind that powered Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis.
41. Octave Chanute, the noted engineer and sponsor of early experiments in aviation. Chanute corresponded extensively with virtually all of aviation’s pioneers and conducted his own glider experiments in 1896.
42. Grover C. Loening , the first American to receive a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and founder of the Loening Aeronautical Engineering Corporation.
43. Edson F. Gallaudet founded the Gallaudet Aircraft Corporation, which became part of Consolidated Aircraft and, later, General Dynamics.
44. George A. Page, Jr. spent most of his career at the Curtiss-Wright Corp. where, among other aircraft, he designed the Curtiss C-46 Commando.
45. Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge, the U.S. Army’s first aviator. While flying with Orville Wright at Fort Myer, Virginia, Selfridge became the first person to die in the crash of a powered airplane, 17 Sept. 1908.
46. Earle L. Ovington flew the first regularly scheduled air-mail service in America, between Garden City Estates and Mineola, New York; Sept. 1911.
47. Robert J. Collier, the publisher of Collier’s Weekly and founder of the Collier Trophy, sometimes called “the Nobel Prize for Aviation.”
48. A Moisant-built Blériot-type monoplane, 1911.
49. The insignia of The Early Birds of Aviation, the association of aviators who flew prior to 17 Dec. 1916.
Entries added to the original key (covering the part of the mural that was missing when the original key was written)
50. André-Jacques Garnerin made the world’s first successful descent by parachute, near Paris, France; 21 Oct. 1797.
51. Frederick Marriott’s steam-powered Avitor made the first-ever flight in the Western Hemisphere of a powered, lighter-than-air craft; Shell Mound Lake, California, 2 July 1869.
52. Charles E. “Charlie” Taylor’s 4-cylinder, 12-hp. engine that powered the Wright brothers’ first flight, 17 Dec. 1903.
53. A human-powered, vertical-lift device designed (but probably never built) by Leonardo da Vinci, 1490.
54. Design for a rotary-wing flying machine made by the French artist, photographer, and balloonist Félix Nadar, 1863.
55. Design for a “convertiplane,” 1843, by Sir George Cayley, often called “the Father of Aeronautics.”
56. Dropped from a hot-air balloon, Daniel J. Maloney pilots Professor John J. Montgomery’s tandem-wing glider to a safe landing at San Jose, California; March, 1905.MaterialCanvasWoodArtistGruelle, Justin C.Date1940DimensionsH: 85.5 in/W: 218 in/D: 3 inBibliographic CitationThe Museum of Flight CollectionRightsIn copyrightCatalog RecordView original catalog record
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Painting/Early Birds mural (1940), [2006-02-13_object_001]. Museum of Flight Digital Collections, accessed 22/07/2026, https://digitalcollections.museumofflight.org/nodes/view/2346