Pan Am and the Golden Age of Air Travel

June 2003 - May 2004

The Museum is celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first successful flight with “Pan Am and the Golden Age of Air Travel,” an exhibit featuring artifacts, photographs and original documents from Pan American Airways – a pioneer in air travel.

The exhibit focuses on Pan Am’s clipper period, from 1935 through 1946, when it became an airline of firsts including the first American airline to fly to foreign destinations, the first to institute round-the-world service, the first to employ flight stewards, the first to serve meals aboard, and the first to show full-length movies.

Exhibit highlights include vintage route maps, advertisements, signage, postcards, brochures, a pilot’s jacket, and a collection of handwritten correspondence from a Pan Am advertising manager to his fiancée including his South American itinerary from 1941-1942. Financial documents, such as Pan Am stock certificates and annual reports, are also featured.