Lady Lindy

February 20, 2013

This week, I was tasked with a reporting project on an exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. "One Life: Amelia Earhart" presents a visual timeline of pictures and memorobilia from Earhart's relatively short, yet exciting, life.

First of all, can we all just stop to look at how gorgeous this lady was? I can't help but admire how she could rock both the leather jacket and pants for flying ( which others deemed "unladylike" ) as well as the latest feminine trends for her many appearances.

Earhart is best known as an aviator and a symbol of feminine empowerment. She achieved many firsts during her lifetime, including being the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an airplane. However, she suddenly disappeared during a flight over the Pacific in 1937 and has never been found.

In addition to the expected pictures and artifacts, the exhibit contains some interesting looks into Earhart's personality. Her free-spiritedness and independence never wavered. She definitely had a strong sense of self and knew exactly where her passion was: up in the air. She refused marriage proposals from George Putnam six times before finally agreeing to wed him. ( Seventh time's the charm? ) Even then, she was completely up-front and honest about her feelings, drafting this pre-marital letter in 1931:


All I can say is that George Putnam must have been one patient man. But really, could those requests have been drafted any more beautifully? I wish we still took as much time with our words as Amelia clearly did here. I especially love the line "I may have to keep some place where I can go to be myself, now and then, for I cannot guarantee to endure at all times the confinement of even an attractive cage." I think we can all resonate with that statement at times.

This exhibit is just one example of her legacy still being celebrated today. Three other Smithsonian museums also feature items related to Amelia Earhart. The National Air and Space Museum features the red Lockheed Vega in which Earhart set two of her aviation records and one of her leather flying coats. The American Art Museum houses a portrait miniature of Earhart, and stamps commemorating her flights can be found at the National Postal Museum.

“One Life: Amelia Earhart” will be featured at the National Portrait Gallery through May 27. The gallery is open from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, and admission is free.

I had such a lovely time at the gallery today. I got to interview an FAA employee as well as a sweet old lady all the way from Melbourne, Australia. 

Oh, the people you find when you say hello. They never cease to surprise me.

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