Myth in Motion: The Visual Language of the First World War Aviator
On Thursday 27 August 2026 at 6pm, Abby Whitlock will trace how the aviator aesthetic moved from the cockpit to cinema and fashion. This lecture will be hosted virtually via Crowdcast.
Talk Outline
More than just a new form of combatant, the First World War aviator soared into collective imagination as a symbol of daring, modernity, and innovation. This lecture examines how the material culture of flight gave rise to one of the twentieth century’s most enduring visual and cinematic archetypes: the aviator. Garments such as leather coats, flying helmets, goggles, and the iconic white scarf initially served as practical defences against wind, oil, and cold. However, these items became cultural symbols of courage, modernity, and individualism, embodied by the “ace” whose image extended far beyond the frontlines.
Through a lens of visual and media history, this talk traces how the aviator aesthetic moved from the cockpit to cinema and fashion. Wartime postcards and illustrated newspapers gave way to the romanticized “knights of the air” of interwar films like Wings (1927), Hell’s Angels(1930), and The Dawn Patrol (1938). These cinematic depictions transformed practical gear into the costume of heroism and translated the danger of flight into a language of effortless glamour. Even today, echoes of that aesthetic endure — from film to inspired fashion collections — revealing how early airpower continues to shape ideas of gender, risk, and national identity.
By combining surviving flight kit, film stills, and advertising imagery, this lecture invites audiences to see the aviator not only as a combatant but also as a cultural construct—a figure in which technology, fashion, and mythology converge. In doing so, it highlights how museums can use objects and visual media to tell a more layered story of how airpower was both fought and performed.
Livestream
To attend virtually, register via Crowdcast.
About Abby Whitlock
Abby Whitlock is a historian, writer, and museum professional whose research centres on the social and cultural history of First World War aviation. She has delivered lectures on topics such as morale, mental health, and comradeship within the air services, and has published extensively on the evolving image of the aviator from wartime media coverage to post-war popular culture.
Abby holds an MSc in History (with distinction) from the University of Edinburgh and a BA in History and European Studies with Highest Honours from William & Mary. Her thesis, “A Return to Camelot?: British Identity, The Masculine Ideal, and the Romanticization of the Royal Flying Corps Image,” analysed the promotion of the typical British airman’s experience during the First World War. Her dissertation, “It’s a rum life”: Physical Space, Group Dynamics, and Morale Amongst Royal Flying Corps Scout Pilots, 1914-1918”, focused on the role physical space on aerodromes played in maintaining morale and a sense of unity by encouraging ideals relating to friendship, courage, and mental health.
She currently works in the Digital Content Strategy and Experience Division at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, where she leads program management and strategic planning for the institution’s digital initiatives.