Transcribed from back of photo: "Howard Hughes in the cockpit of the new XF-11 reconnaissance plane which he designed and built in conjuntion with Air Material Command engineers. He is preparing for its first flight. One of the world's fastest long-range photo planes, it can attain a speed of over 400 miles per hour."
40 x 62 cm. Relief shown by hachures and spot heights. Prime meridians: Greenwich and Washington. "Historical and statistical view of the United States, 1860"--Verso. Atlas page numbers at top: 58-59. Arizona became a territory in 1863, and Nevada became a state on October 31, 1864, so this map was either published in 1863 or in 1864 before the end of October. Original publisher: Johnson and Ward.
The black and white view of unidentified people surrounding the Lockheed 14 aircraft. Typed on a piece of paper attached to the image: "Rolling Howard Hughes' plane out of hangar at Floyd Bennett Field, with Lt. Thomas Thurlow, one of the navigators, calibrating the compass. 7/9/38."