(POSTCARD) "Wilbur Wright au Mans. (1908)". Signed Carte Postale. Le Francaise de Phototypie: Chateau. Signed and dated by Wilbur Wright, with a fountain pen, at lower left corner. DATE 16 October 1908. Wilbur Wright arrived in France in May 1908. Over the next year, he made more than 200 flights in Europe, dazzling crowds whenever he took to the air and turning critics into admirers. He became a hero lavished with praise, honored at ceremonial dinners with political leaders and the aeronautical elite, and the recipient of numerous prizes and medals, including the Legion of Honor. "The age of heavier-than-air aviation began with the flight of the Wright brothers on December 17, 1903.During the next eight years, Wilbur and Orville toured, mostly in, and occasionally signed postcards at demonstrations of their airplane. Wilbur's early death in May 1912 has caused pieces signed by him to be extremely rare." - HISTORY COMES TO LIFE, by Kenneth Rendell, page 240. This image shows Wilbur with a dog at his left foot. This is a contrast to many of his signed postcards which show him with his airplane. This item was gifted to Dr. Rider, an avid aviation enthusiast, on September 22, 2009 from a longstanding patient. According to the patient's letter the postcard was originally procured by her grandfather while he was stationed in France during WWI. The original letter from the patient is included with the item. This item has been forensically authenticated by Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators and will be delivered with the LOA.

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