April 23, 2009, 5:33 pm : Cheap Date: 1903

Another in the series of mostly-true stories of great historical dates. This time young, pretty American Aida de Costa goes for a spin in Alberto Santos-Dumont’s personal dirigible in Paris. Sounds like a good date to me!

Thanks to Conan Tobias at Taddle Creek Magazine (web) for commissioning me to do this. It’s a wrap-around cover for the next issue (available soon at fine newsstands near you).

Acrylic on wood panel. 18″ x 24″. Available!

The Text:
Great dates in history:  Brazilian Alberto Santos-Dumont came to France as a teenager to study science. He soon turned to aviation and began ballooning. Not satisfied with merely drifting on the wind, he began to design dirigibles and in short time popularized steerable, powered flight, garnering considerable fame.
“Le Petit Santos” was only 5′ 3″ and 110 lbs but was a notably sharp dresser and showman. He would conspicuously fly his dirigibles all over Paris, often to friends’ apartments or his favourite café, La Cascade.
In 1903 he caught the eye of pretty Aida de Acosta, a visitor from New York. Mutually smitten, she said she wanted to fly, so on July 9th Aida took to the sky in his 3 h.p. No. 9 dirigible with a homing pigeon – to send a message should she stray off course – while Alberto followed below on a bicycle, shouting guidance. Her flight was a success, and at nineteen Aida became the first woman to fly a powered aircraft solo.
Though it was a great date, they went their separate ways. Alberto never married, but he kept a photo of Aida on his desk for the rest of his life and she was the only person he allowed to fly any of his aircraft.

April 23, 2009, 11:04 am : Everybody in Stripes!