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Outstanding vintage matte-finish 7 x 5 photo of the first flight of the Wright Flyer near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “To Commander Silvio Scaroni, Orville Wright, December 17, 1928.” In fine condition, with curling to left and right sides. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as "NM-MT 8."
Orville Wright, age 32, is seen at the controls of the machine, lying prone on the lower wing with hips in the cradle, which operated the wing-warping mechanism. His brother, Wilbur Wright, age 36, ran alongside to help balance the machine, with this image showing him having just released his hold on the forward upright of the right wing. The starting rail, the wing-rest, a coil box, and other items needed for flight preparation are visible behind the machine. The historic photo shoot was organized by Orville Wright, who preset the camera and had John T. Daniels, a member of the U.S. Life-Saving Station in Kill Devil Hills, squeeze the rubber bulb and trigger the shutter.
The recipient, Tenente Silvio Scaroni (1893-1977) was a legendary Italian World War I fighter pilot credited with 26 victories who was the second-ranking Italian ace of the war. It stands to reason that Scaroni was one of the many notable aviators in attendance at a 25th-anniversary celebration of the Wright brothers' inaugural flight held by the International Air Congress at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1928. Attended by Orville Wright, Amelia Earhart, and other dignitaries, the event was highlighted by the placing of a granite marker, carved to look like a boulder, set at the approximate location of the Wright brothers' 1903 flight.
