This collection consists 16 unique images, with the remaining items consisting of multiple copies, of file photos of Amelia Earhart, dating from 1918 through 1937. Images include celebrations of Amelia Earhart's first Trans Atlantic flights in 1928, her appearances for the First Powder Puff Air Derby, her attempts to establish various records, and her appearance before the United States Senate. The earliest image depicts Earhart's graduation portrait from 1918. The last photo was taken in Oakland, California, just before her departure to Hawaii in 1937. Two images include Amy Otis Earhart, mother of Amelia Earhart. Most of the photographs in this collection are identified as coming from the files of Underwood & Underwood, a longtime supplier of news photographs in New York, New York.
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was an American aviation pioneer, author, and one of the most famous individuals of the 20th century. Born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas, to Samuel Edwin Earhart and Amelia Otis Earhart, Amelia Earhart's interest in aviation began in earnest after attending a flying exhibition in California in 1920. Soon after, she took flying lessons from pioneer female aviator Anita "Neta" Snook and purchased her first plane, a Kinner Airster biplane, which she nicknamed "The Canary." In 1923, she became the 16th woman in the United States to receive a pilot's license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.
She rose to national prominence in 1928 when she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean—though as a passenger, not as a pilot—on a flight from Newfoundland to Wales. Despite her publically downplaying her significance, the flight brought her fame and launched a career in aviation, public speaking, and advocacy for women's rights.
In 1932, Earhart made history again by becoming the first woman—and only the second person after Charles Lindbergh—to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean, flying from Newfoundland to Ireland in under 15 hours. This achievement earned her the Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress and solidified her reputation as one of the world's foremost aviators.
Beyond her flying accomplishments, Earhart was a prolific writer, publishing books and articles about her experiences. She was also an advocate for female pilots and a founding member of the Ninety-Nines, an organization that supports women in aviation.
In 1937, Earhart embarked on her most ambitious journey: an attempt to become the first woman to circumnavigate the globe by airplane. Accompanied by navigator Fred Noonan, she departed from Oakland, California, and successfully completed most of the journey before disappearing over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island on July 2, 1937. Despite an extensive search by the U.S. Navy and ongoing speculation for decades, no conclusive evidence of her fate has ever been found.
Underwood & Underwood
Underwood & Underwood was a prominent American photography company best known for its role in the production and distribution of stereoscopic images and news photography in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The company was founded in 1881 by brothers Elmer and Bert Underwood in Ottawa, Kansas, and later moved its headquarters to New York City.
Initially, Underwood & Underwood specialized in the door-to-door sale of stereographs—paired photographic prints that created a 3D effect when viewed through a stereoscope. By the 1890s, the company had become one of the world's largest publishers of stereoscopic images, producing millions of views annually that covered a wide range of subjects, including travel scenes, current events, cultural landmarks, and religious themes.
The company expanded globally, establishing photographic bureaus in major cities around the world and employing a wide network of photographers. Their images offered a visual education and entertainment to middle-class households during a time when travel was limited and photography was still emerging as a mass medium.
In the early 20th century, Underwood & Underwood began shifting focus from stereographs to news photography. They became pioneers in photojournalism, supplying images to newspapers and magazines, and helped shape the modern photo press service. The company's photographers captured significant historical events, including political conventions, wars, and cultural milestones.
By the 1920s, the popularity of stereographs declined with the rise of motion pictures and illustrated magazines. Underwood & Underwood eventually ceased stereograph production and continued its press photography work into the 1940s before being absorbed by other media interests.
Today, the legacy of Underwood & Underwood is preserved in numerous public and private collections. Their vast photographic output provides a rich visual archive of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and remains a valuable resource for historians, educators, and archivists.
This collection consists of 16 unique images, 68 copies in total, of Amelia Earhart, dating from 1918 through 1937. The collection is arranged chronologically with the earliest image depicting Earhart's graduation in 1918. Many of the photos in this group feature celebrations of Amelia Earhart's first Trans-Atlantic flights in 1928. Other images include public appearances for the First Powder Puff Air Derby, attempts to establish flight records and Earhart's appearance for Senate committee hearings. Two images also include Amy Otis Earhart, mother of Amelia Earhart.
Most photographs in this collection are identified as from the file photos from Underwood & Underwood, a longtime supplier of news photographs in New York, New York. The company began as purveyors of glass image photographs in the nineteenth century and became a major producer of stereographic images. In the twentieth century, they became a pioneering news photography agency, supplying images to newspapers, magazines, and wire services. The Underwood & Underwood photo archive, numbering thousands of images, was sold to the Otto Bettmann Archive in 1971. The Bettmann archive was sold to the Kraus Thomson Organization in 1981. Kraus Thomson was in turn sold to Corbis, a Bill Gates company, in 1995. Getty Images took over management of the Bettmann Archive before Corbis was sold to Visual China Group in 2016. At least six of these photos appear in The Getty Images Royalty Free Gallery; however, most do not. The Getty Images archive has other photographs taken at the same events depicted in these photos.
January 25, 2025 (processed), 0.30 cubic feet: This collection consists of 68 copies of file photos of Amelia Earhart, dating from 1918 through 1937. The collection contains 16 unique images with multiple copies of most images. Many of the images in this group feature celebrations of Amelia Earhart's first Trans Atlantic flights in 1928. Other include public appearances for the First Powder Puff Air Derby, attempts to establish flight records, and Senate hearings. The earliest image depicts Miss Earhart's graduation portrait from 1918. The last photo was taken in Oakland, California, just before her departure to Hawaii in 1937. Two images include Amy Otis Earhart, mother of Amelia Earhart.
Most of the photographs in this collection are identified as from the files of Underwood & Underwood, a longtime supplier of news photographs in New York, New York. Purchased from Leland Little Auctions.
Purchased from Leland Little Auctions
Processed by Patrick Cash, 2025
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.