Early Aviation Postcard – Youth with Experimental Glider Frame (AZO, c.1910s–1920s)

Original real photo postcard depicting a young man standing in front of the skeletal frame of an early experimental glider. The image shows the open lattice wing construction, consistent with homebuilt or pioneering aviation designs from the first decades of the 20th century. The subject is dressed in period attire—knickerbockers, boots, tie, and cap—standing beneath the wing structure, which provides scale and detail of the aircraft’s framework.

The reverse bears the AZO photographic postcard stamp box with four triangles pointing upward, dating the card to approximately 1910–1930. The card is unused, preserving the photographic clarity and period authenticity.

This postcard is significant as a primary-source visual record of grassroots aviation enthusiasm during the early years of flight. Many of these experimental gliders were built by individuals or local aviation clubs, reflecting the influence of the Wright Brothers’ breakthroughs and the international spread of aeronautical experimentation.

For collectors, historians, and archivists, this card represents both aviation history and early photographic documentation of American youth engagement with experimental flight.