NUNGESSER Charles (1892-1927)

Très rare photographie de 13,5 x 21 cm dédicacée et signée de Nungesser, photographié par Henri Manuel de Paris. Signé à l'encre noire «Ch.Nungesser», et dédicacée, sur la partie supérieure claire de l'image «À mon ami Martin, en souvenir d'un brave Évangile 1906», également daté de sa main sous la signature «24 octobre 1918» ´.

Signé sur la monture par le photographe par Henri Manuel.

Les mesures de l'ensemble sont 16 x 25 cm.

Ranked third French ace with 43 air combat victories during World War one. Best remembered as a rival of Charles Lindbergh. Nungesser disappeared in May 1927 when attempting to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight from Paris to New York. Extremely rare signed and inscribed 5.5 x 8 photograph by Nungesser, the Henri Manuel image, from Paris, showing the French ace pilot standing in a three quarter length pose, wearing his military uniform. Signed in bold black ink `Ch.Nungesser´, and inscribed in French, to the upper clear part of the image `To my friend Martin, souvenir of a brave Gospel 1906´, also dated in his hand beneath the signature `24th October 1918´. Signed to the photographer´s mount by Henri Manuel. Matted to an overall size of 6.5 x 10.

Signed photographs of Nungesser are rare and desirable as a result of his early death at the age of 35.  Nungesser mysteriously disappeared on an attempt to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight from Paris to New York, 8th May 1927, flying with wartime comrade François Coli in L´oiseau Blanc (The White Bird). The aircraft was last time sighted over Ireland, and then was never seen again. The disappearance of Nungesser is considered one of the great mysteries in the history of aviation. Two weeks after Nungesser and Coli's attempt, Charles Lindbergh successfully made the journey, flying solo from New York to Paris in Spirit of St. Louis.