That magnificent woman in her flying machine in Brookline

Mme. Helene Alberti was a Boston opera singer who became convinced she'd discovered the secret to human-powered flight: the "Greek law of cosmic motion." One fine day in April, 1931, she and an assistant traveled to the Anderson estate in Brookline to show the world the theory in action:

As a newsreel reported not long after:

Using hills of estate as testing ground, she and male pupil spring gaily into the air, flutter canvas propellers assiduously and go into nose dives promptly.

Photos by Leslie Jones from the Boston Public Library's aviation photo collection. Posted under this Creative Commons license.