The unexplained disappearance of Amelia Earhart tends to eclipse the noteworthy achievements of other pioneering aviatrixes. One such individual was Ruth Bancroft Law (1887-1970), the first female pilot to ever loop-the-loop, executed before a large crowd at Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1915. Following the First World War, the “Queen of the Air” formed "Ruth Law's Flying Circus," a three-plane troupe that amazed spectators at state and county fairs by racing against cars, flying through fireworks, and setting altitude and distance records. It stands to reason that this high-flying poster featuring the aerial daring-do of Law aboard her self-promotional modified Curtiss Pusher biplane hales from this era. Law enjoyed one of the longest and most colorful careers of the early female aviators. She purchased her first aircraft from Orville Wright in 1912 at the age of twenty-one, a plane in which she became the first woman to fly at night. Her greatest feat took place on November 19, 1916, when she smashed the existing cross-country distance flying record by soaring nonstop from Chicago to New York State, a distance of 590 miles. She became the toast of New York City and even President Woodrow Wilson attended a dinner held in her honor. While Law was the first woman authorized to wear a military uniform, she was denied permission to fly in combat. Instead, she raised money for the Red Cross and Liberty Loan drives with exhibition flights. One morning in 1922, Law learned of her retirement while reading the newspaper—her husband, Charles Oliver, could no longer bear his wife's hazardous occupation and simply put an end to her flying career with an announcement written as if it came from Law herself. She passed away in San Francisco on December 1, 1970, at the age of eighty-three.
Ackermann-Quigley Litho., Kansas City
literature: Affiches d’Aviation, p. 63; PAI-L, 54