Henry Howard Bagg, “Untitled (The Spirit of St. Louis),” Oil on Canvas, c. 1927-1928

Blues, grays, and greens are the dominant colors in this work featuring a white single-engine, single-seat high wing monoplane. The airplane is centered in a blue-gray sky which is dark at the top and lightens near the horizon. Sheets of rain fall diagonally and shed horizontally off the wings of the plane. The aircraft flies low and level over a large wave in a choppy gray-green ocean. The blur of the front propeller is visible through the mist. The plane resembles the “Spirit of St. Louis” and, based on the date, suggests that Bagg created this painting from photos and newspaper accounts covering Lindbergh’s 1927 flight.