In 1916, Santos Dumont signed an autograph atop the Eiffel Tower when he won the Deutsch Prize.
Autograph of Alberto Santos Dumont for an admirer.
A page from Flying Magazine, inEnglish.
20 cm x 28 cm. 1
1916, England.
Excellent condition conservation.
Unique piece.
The Deutsch Prize was an important milestone in the life of Alberto Santos Dumont, perhaps the most significant. The prize was offered by the French businessman Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe in 1900, as a reward for the first successful flight of an airship from Saint-Cloud to the Eiffel Tower and back to Saint-Cloud in thirty minutes.
On October 19, 1901, Santos Dumont flew his dirigible No. 6 and fulfilled the requirements of the challenge, despite a major mishap upon arrival in Saint-Cloud. The prize consisted of 100,000 francs, which the Brazilian decided to donate to the poor of Paris: we possess an incredible and previously unpublished document proving this unknown fact, which we will present to you one day...
This achievement marked a fundamental advance in the history of aviation, demonstrating the practical potential of lighter-than-air aircraft. It also catapulted Santos Dumont to international fame and solidified his reputation as one of aviation's pioneers. These were his golden years.
Flying Magazine was an English aviation magazine; in fact, it was in England that we found this beautiful autograph. The perfect signature, on such an iconic photograph of Santos Dumont circling the Eiffel Tower, and the perfect condition of the whole thing make this piece something very special.
