Aviation
Since the Wright Brothers first did their thing at Kitty Hawk in 1903, man has striven to go higher, further and faster (and in more comfort). The Lordprice Collection has airplane pictures to cover that journey, with aeroplanes and aviators galore, in the sky and on the ground.Remember that our aviation pictures, like flying machines themselves, come in all shapes and sizes, so you can have your airplane picture at the size you need, and framed in any way you want. Click on the image below to reveal flying posters, photographs, prints, illustrations, cartoons and much more.
 Air Shows |
 Airline Posters |
 Autogiros |
 Aviation Adverts |
 Golden Age of Aviation |
 Aviation Illustration |
 Aviation Magazine Covers |
 Aviation Pioneers |
 Schneider Trophy |
 RAF |
|
Can't find exactly what you want? Try the Search facility – or Contact Us to ask. | ||||
|
Airplane pictures form an important part of our aviation picture portfolio. Naturally we start with the pioneers of flying. From a photo of the Wright Brothers’ first flight, to a magazine spread and other aviation images celebrating Louis Bleriot’s first channel crossing and Farman’s less well-known but no less astounding 1909 flight of 116 miles. These plane pictures do make one marvel at the bravery of the pilots and the fragility of their aircraft.
The Great War is chronologically the next source of outstanding aircraft pictures and aeroplane images. Airborne action photography was virtually non-existant, so illustration was the medium for the best flying pictures. Magazine artwork is an important source of WWI pictures and aerial dogfights between the RFC, later the RAF, and the Hun, with famous planes such as the Sopwith Camel, FE2b and SE5 feature. The inter-war years saw a combination of technical and commercial development. The former is illustrated by our Schneider Trophy pictures. This was the premier speed event and test bed for cutting-edge aeronautical engineering: our collection includes images from the 1929 Schneider Trophy programme. Air shows are also reflected – the most striking perhaps that for the Zurich Air Show of 1937. At the forefront of modern technology, aviation was the perfect medium for Art Deco imagery in its advertising graphics. Our airline posters demonstrate the growth of passenger flight in the 1920s and 1930s. We feature Imperial Airways posters (the predecessor to BOAC, itself that of BA) reflecting, naturally, its services to the Empire (India and Australia, particularly). Amongst European airlines’ graphics illustrated are Air France, Lufthansa, Italian Aerial Lines and some striking Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) posters. Military aviation developed in the years leading to and during the Second World War. Our images demonstrate the informational, moral-boosting and propaganda purposes of poster and other art. The major military aeroplane pictures we have concern the efforts of the Royal Air Force, including outstanding photographs of RJ Mitchell’s Supermarine Spitfire. Unusual examples also include those from a children’s alphabet book illustrating the Battle of Britain and the Blitz. Although there are a lot of military aircraft images here, the lighter side of the topic is shown by pictures and cartoons such as ‘Becoming a Sportsman’ and ‘Tennis in the air’ and ‘Rules of the Road of the Air’. The breadth of the subject is demonstrated in an advert for Brolt electric components by their use on the R34 Airship as a testimonial. | ||||