Can anyone identify the female pilot in this photo?
I have searched on google and just can't seem to find out who this WW2 female pilot is. The photo is stamped (what looks like) Keno Cenzura (something) Ministry.....
21 comments
I have searched on google and just can't seem to find out who this WW2 female pilot is. The photo is stamped (what looks like) Keno Cenzura (something) Ministry.....
nadeeshsamanmale_0
·7 months agoI searched using AI. It was as followed.
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alleycatv
OP7 months agoHello, I also searched using AI and did not get the results you did. The pilot definitely resembles the actress Billie Dove, though I can't seem to narrow down this photo and have a lot more research to do. But I really think you hit on something and I'm pretty sure it's Santa Catalina Island. Thanks again for you great response
wri-8727
·7 months ago@soh.maryl wrote:
But would the queen have been dressed like that and would she have flown her own plane?
First off I was mistaken when I said Queen Marie of Romania visited in 1923. It was 1926 and the visit was visited with much fanfare nationwide.
Anyways, Queen Marie was much impressed that Seattle Washington had a female mayor(ess:) so I'm guessing, maybe, the pictured aviatrix could have sent the picture to Queen Marie? Maybe the Queen was a fan?
As far as that being a picture of Jackie Cochran I'm not sure Cochran ever flew a plane like that which looks like a variant of a Nicholas-Beazley NB-3.
ETA: Queen Marie was the Granddaughter of Queen Victoria and when she traveled cross-country she took the Northern route probably attracting much attention in Canada. In fact the man she was traveling to meet, Sam Hill, later built the Peace Arch between Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia.
alleycatv
OP7 months agoThis is so interesting and thank you for sharing your knowledge!!
debora(34)
·7 months agoWhy do you think she's an American pilot and the photograph was taken in the US? There's nothing in the photograph that would lead one to that conclusion.
alleycatv
OP7 months agoFrom the responses I believe she could be Jackie Cochran, an American pilot. I never said the photo was taken in the US and only that the photo was not taken in Romania. I don't think the photo was taken in the US..
soh.maryl
·7 months agoTo me, the clothing worn by the pilot as well as the configuration of the aircraft seems like earlier than World War II.
wri-8727
·7 months agoQueen Marie of Romania paid a
visit to the United States in 1923
soh.maryl
·7 months agoBut would the queen have been dressed like that and would she have flown her own plane?
c*me*4*lefton*info
·7 months agoFrom AI (indcating subject to human error, in other words details may not be precise but available info still helpful) -
A round embossed seal is almost certainly not random. In fact, you’ve just stepped into a very specific corner of Romanian bureaucratic history.
Let me walk you through the likely match, and you’ll see how neatly your fragments fit.
What your stamp most likely is
A round embossed seal reading something like:
„Cenzura – Ministerul de Interneâ€
Censorship – Ministry of the Interior
This is the most common national‑level Romanian censorship seal used on photographs and documents between the late 1920s and 1938.
Your partial reading lines up perfectly:
“Ministr??†→ almost certainly MINISTERUL (the Romanian word for “Ministryâ€)
The full phrase would have been arranged in a circle, typically:
Outer ring: CENZURA Inner ring or lower arc: MINISTERUL DE INTERNE (Ministry of the Interior)
Why this fits the pre‑WW2 period
Before WWII, Romania did not yet have the standardized WWII-era censor stamps. Instead, censorship of photographs — especially portraits, border‑crossing photos, and politically sensitive images — was handled by:
The Ministry of the Interior (Ministerul de Interne)
through its Censorship Office (Cenzura).
These seals were:
Round
Embossed, not inked
Often weakly struck, making only fragments legible
Usually containing only CENZURA and the ministry name
Exactly what you’re describing.
🧠What the full text probably looked like
Here are the two most common layouts for embossed Romanian censorship seals of that era:
Type A (most common):
CENZURA MINISTERUL DE INTERNE
Type B (less common):
CENZURA MINISTERUL DE INTERNE – ROMÂNIA
Both appear on photographs from the 1920s–1930s.
_________________________________________________________________
This is the Interwar Romanian State Seal used by the Ministry of the Interior’s Censorship Office (Cenzura – Ministerul de Interne)
Everything you’ve described aligns with the official national coat of arms of Romania (1921–1940) as it appears in embossed form:
Key features of that coat of arms when embossed
Tall, narrow shield (semi-rectangular, slightly rounded bottom)
Two curved lines meeting at the bottom center (the shield’s base)
Crown on top, which in embossing becomes:
three triangular points
often mistaken for three stars
sometimes appearing as a scalloped or jagged top edge
This is exactly what you’re seeing.
And when that shield appears inside a single ring of text, the only Romanian government office that used that configuration on photographs before WWII was:
CENZURA – MINISTERUL DE INTERNE
(Censorship – Ministry of the Interior)
alleycatv
OP7 months agoWow!! Thank you so much for your valuable information on the seal! I love how people are so knowledgeable about everything historic. Though I don't understand why this photo would even have a Romanian state seal when she's an American pilot and the photo is obviously not taken in Romania. Guess I have a lot more research to do. Thanks again....
wri-8727
·8 months agoRuth Alexander Nicholas-Beazley NB-3
 
debora(34)
·8 months agoShe's wearing jodhpurs, laced-boots and a leather barnstormer jacket. Basically, the same "uniform" that a male aviator would be wearing in the period. From the length of the woman's dress on the pier, I'd think 1930s but could be a tad earlier. That's a little seaplane with 2 seats, an open cockpit and pontoons. She may well have been giving visitors novelty rides at a sea resort. CENSURA means "censorship" in Romanian. It would be helpful if you could read the rest of the impressed mark. You might try a gentle rubbing.
alleycatv
OP7 months agoThank you for the information. I was away the past few weeks and only now had the time to reply. I'm adding a few more pics of the impressed mark. When you have the time, please take a look and see if you can read it. Thank you again!!!!
tobaccocardyahoo
·8 months agoIf this is Jackie Cochran, her history is extremely interesting, including her efforts in the WWII period,
This wikipedia article could be the source of some interesting details to increase the appeal of your listing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacqueline_Cochran
debora(34)
·8 months agoThat's not World War II era; it's earlier. And it doesn't even appear to be military. Why have you not posted a photograph of the stamp? It would help us help you.
alleycatv
OP8 months agoYou're absolutely right and I just can't seem to get a clear picture of the stamp and my scanner is not even picking it up well. Here are some pictures and I
c*me*4*lefton*info
·8 months agoI am not certain but the photo appears to be taken on Catalina, a hub for early sea planes in the 1920s-1930s. The mountain side in the background is what makes me think of Catalina (as I am familiar with 1920s-1930s images of the island). I believe there is enough visible in the photo (pier, partial building, and objects on pier) to positively ID location as Catalina if you can find the right expert. I simply do not have the time to do the research myself but thought it may be helpful to pass along my thoughts on this item.
A definite identification of the plane (make and model) pictured will also help to attract buyers if listed. An early sea plane (with pontoons) makes this photo of more interest to collectors in my opinion.
alleycatv
OP8 months agoHello and thank you for your response and it's very helpful. I will research Catalina and the make and model of plane.
wri-8727
·8 months agoJudging by the lipstick and wave Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Cochran?
 
alleycatv
OP8 months agoThank you and I think you are correct!!