Description printed on photograph's accompanying strip of paper: "When Hughes arrives at Le Bourget on world trip. Paris-- French air experts examining Howard Hughes' arrival at Le Bourget. After a few minor repairs, Hughes and his companions hopped off for Moscow, second leg of their circuit of the globe in 3 days and 19 hours."
Description given with photograph: "Howard Hughes tests the Hughes plane. Seattle--Howard Hughes (right), millionaire aviation enthusiast and record holder, shown with Edmund T. Allen, Boeing test engineer, before they made a recent test flight in a Boeing-built Stratoliner. The huge machine was equipped with extra fuel tanks for the test. Hughes did not reveal the reasons for his interest in the four-motored, 30 passenger plane, designed for substratosphere flight."
'Compiled, drawn, and engraved under the supervision of J.H. Colton and A.J. Johnson.' Relief shown by hachures and spot heights. Scale [ca. 1:3,041,280]. 1 in. to approx. 48 miles (W 124°--W 103°/N 42°--N 31°). Hand colored Prime meridians: Greenwich and Washington Plates 54 & 55 removed from Johnson's New illustrated family atlas of the world, with descriptions geographical, statistical and historical ... New York, 1862 Title page of atlas.
Typed onto a piece of paper attached to the image: "As Hughes Visited Washington To Thank Cordell Hull, Washing, D. C. -- Police escorting Howard Hughes holding hat, through the admiring throungs at the Washington Airport as the intrepid flyer and his four companions on his Round-The-World flight came to the Capital, July 21st, to personally thank Secretary of State Cordell Hull for his cooperation in clearing their take-offs on their flight. Credit Line (ACME) 7/21/38."