On November 12, 1906, Alberto Santos Dumont prepares and successfully carries out his historic flight with the 14-Bis.

• Five original period photographs and an old postcard of the 14-Bis.
• Authors: Rol & Cia, Dayz, Raffaele.
• France, November 12, 1906.
• +/- 12 cm x 17 cm.
• Notes in French on the back.
• Perfect condition.

The 14-Bis occupies a central place in the history of Santos Dumont and world aviation because it was the first aircraft to make a public, autonomous and officially registered flight in Europe. On October 23, 1906, and especially on November 12 of the same year, at the Bagatelle airfield in Paris, Santos Dumont demonstrated that it was possible to take off, fly and land a heavier-than-air aircraft without external assistance, in front of judges from the Aéro-Club de France and a crowd of witnesses. This feat was unprecedented because the Wright brothers, although they had flown before in the United States, did so without witnesses and with the help of catapults. The 14-Bis therefore represented the official birth of modern aviation in Europe, marking the transition from dream to proven technical feat, and consolidating Santos Dumont as one of the greatest pioneers in the history of flight.

These original period photographs are true relics of aviation history: they record, with palpable emotion, the legendary flight of November 12, 1906, when Alberto Santos Dumont took off in the 14-Bis in front of a crowd in Paris — the first officially recognized flight of mankind. Extremely rare, these images show not only the moment of the flight, but also the behind-the-scenes, the transportation of the aircraft and the atmosphere of the time. Very few visual records of this historic feat have survived, and these previously unpublished photos, with their authenticity and narrative power, represent a unique opportunity for collectors and institutions: to acquire a living fragment of the birth of aviation.