Who can appreciate clear skies more than Santa? This 1927 Harris & Ewing photograph documents Santa receiving rather than giving: he gets the “all clear” to navigate the skies on Christmas Eve, complete with a pilot’s license.
While a pilot’s license may not be on everyone’s wish list, anyone who has worked with historical photographs can appreciate the gift of an informative caption. Captions for the thousands of photographs in the Harris & Ewing Collection run the gamut: Some offer full details on who, what, when, where and why, as in this case. Others arrived with no caption at all–a different kind of gift for history detectives everywhere–an invitation to hunt for clues!
Learn more:
- View our previous post offering an overview of the Harris & Ewing Collection.
- Get out your Sherlock tools, and explore Harris & Ewing photographs with no captions. Send us your conclusions as a blog comment or via Ask a Librarian online.
- Admire the many faces of Santa that display in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.
Comments (2)
What fun! Even back then, pre-NORAD, apparently folks enjoyed extending the concept of Santa’s ride into our own airspace. Love the aviator goggles!
A cute and sweet story… if we can be assured that, even though he had thousands of previous flying hours, Santa was properly tested before receiving his pilot’s license. I regret raising such issues, especially at this time of year; however, his carrying presents to this official meeting is cause for concern.
What concerns me even more is the fact that maps were provided but not with requirement that Santa have a co-pilot or navigator along. It appears to me that he officially was being encouraged to do the 20’s equivalent of texting-while-driving.
Merry Christmas & Safe Flying to ALL.