Souvenir of Charles A. Lindbergh's visit to the Citroën factories (27 May 1927)

In this document

This commemorative plate bears the printed title: "In memory of the visit of Charles A. Lindbergh, the hero of the first transatlantic flight, received by the workers of the Citroën factories, 27 May 1927" p. 1.

A caption specifies the scene depicted: "A delegation of workers comes to greet Lindbergh" p. 1.

Graphic and photographic elements

The page is decorated in the header with two crossed flags — French and American — joined by a round blue and white badge bearing the Citroën double chevron p. 1.

A bust portrait of a young man with light hair, in a dark suit, appears on the plate p. 1. A second photograph shows a dense crowd in front of decorated industrial buildings, with a platform in the foreground where a person is addressing the audience, apparently with a megaphone p. 1.

In the bottom right appears a reproduced handwritten signature: "Charles A. Lindbergh" p. 1. The mention "Draeger, Imp." identifies the printer of the plate p. 1.

Context

Charles A. Lindbergh became, in May 1927, the first aviator to cross the Atlantic non-stop solo, between New York and Paris — a feat that sparked considerable popular enthusiasm in France upon his arrival.

The Citroën factories on the Quai de Javel, one of the major Parisian industrial automotive sites of the time, then employed several thousand workers; this type of reception of a personality by the staff was part of the tradition of the great communication stagings of the Citroën house, known for its sense of event (Eiffel Tower illuminations, aerial advertising, etc.), although the document itself does not mention any of these practices.

The Draeger printing house, mentioned at the bottom of the page, was a Parisian firm renowned for the printing of posters and refined advertising documents during the interwar period.

Archivist's perspective

This document does not directly relate to the technical work of Paul Magès, but testifies to the climate and corporate culture of Citroën in which, a few decades later, his engineering work would be inscribed. It seems to have been designed as a souvenir object intended for workers or visitors, associating image, commemorative text and facsimile signature to mark the event p. 1.

The presence of the Citroën double chevron between the French and American flags p. 1 illustrates the brand's desire to associate its image with a resounding international feat, in a logic of prestige and industrial pride rather than technical information.

This type of piece sheds light above all, by contrast, on the universe in which the engineer Magès would later evolve — that of a company attentive to its public image as much as to its innovations.