Aviator Style

LE STYLE AVIATEUR

We never knew Jean Desparmet, our grandmother's brother. He was one of those daredevil aviators who risked their lives in the early part of the 20th Century for the advancement of the airplane industry. He gave his life to it at the young age of 21 at a meeting aerien, an air show, when his monoplan crashed near Paris, 7 months after he had obtained his full licence. He is and always has been one of the family's dashing heroes, as he should be.

He was the chief pilot of the Maison Bleriot and had a grand funeral, des Funerailles Nationales, in Lyon where the family resided. 

The imposing monument that was erected at his grave had his likeness in stone as well as a fallen Icarus, broken wings and all.

I love these old postcards, this one with the one aviatrice- tres chic- at least there was one- bravo Jane Herveux! Jean Desparmet is the one on the far left.

It is not only the movies that have come out lately about aviators (and aviatrice Amelia Earhart) that made me think of my great uncle but also the Aviation Memorabilia that I have spotted here and there in interiors lately.

model airplanes of the purely decorative sort

air plane parts, their aluminum and varnished wood shined to perfection; a stunning statement in a room.

this desk  makes your home office something of an aviation museum, in a very modern way

a dramatic chaise bent and rounded from a polished wing, rivets and all.

a desk carved out of an engine cowling with a "cockpit seat" chair 

artists lent their talent in posters "romanticizing" the French Postal Service and what was certainly adventurous flights to far away places

and they did not forget to add a little humour to their posters

this is the piece that truly inspired this post. Is that Jean on the wing? no, he flew a monoplan, on a (single) wing ....and a prayer

images, asimplertime, ebay, freshbump, goodhousekeeping, du-cote-du-design.net, munstr, via google

au revoir.