Portraits

Amelia Earhart was not the first woman to pilot a plane, nor was she arguably the best female pilot of her era. What makes her truly significant in the history of aviation and in the story of women in America is that she served as an unequaled role model. Her example captivated her generation and continues to inspire to this day.

She made evident to the larger world that women—when presented with the opportunity—could accomplish feats not previously imaginable. She confronted numerous challenges as a woman and as a pilot, but she found ways to surmount them without compromise. To me, she represents the unlimited possibility of human achievement. Her desire to lead made her the face of her age.

—Frank H. Goodyear, Associate Curator of Photographs

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

June 29, 2012 through May 27, 2013

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Neta Snook and Amelia Earhart
Unidentified photographer
Gelatin silver print, 1921
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Amelia Earhart’s pilot’s license
Leather and paper
Issued May 16, 1923
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Miss Earhart Buys Sports Plane
Unidentified artist
Photograph, August 29, 1928
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The arrival of the Friendship in England
Underwood & Underwood (active 1880 – c. 1950)
Gelatin silver print, 1928
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Amelia Earhart and The Fun of It
Hugo Gellert (1892–1985)
Lithographic crayon on paper, c. 1932
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Amelia Earhart returns to America
Unidentified photographer for Acme
Newspictures, Inc.
Gelatin silver print, 1932
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Amelia Earhart luggage
Unidentified photographer
Gelatin silver print, c. 1932–33
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Amelia Earhart
Howard Chandler Christy (1873–1952)
Oil on canvas, 1933
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Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt
Underwood & Underwood (active 1880 – c. 1950)
Gelatin silver print, 1935
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Amelia Earhart with aviation students at Purdue University
Unidentified photographer
Gelatin silver print, 1936
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Amelia Earhart with the Lockheed Electra
Unidentified photographer for Acme Newspictures, Inc.
Gelatin silver print, 1936
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A late photograph of Amelia Earhart
Underwood & Underwood (active 1880 – c. 1950)
Gelatin silver print, 1937
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