Title	1912 ?: E. Lilian Todd, Portrait
Creator	Unknown
Date Created	1912?
Decade	1910s
Index Terms	Todd, E. Lilian
Commentary	Little is know about E. (Emma) Lilian Todd (1865-1937), and this image from a newspaper is the only known photograph of her. We do know that she grew up in Washington, D.C. In order to support herself, she trained as a stenographer, finding employment with a firm of patent attorneys before setting up her own patent business. She was employed briefly by millionaire philanthropist Helen Gould during the Spanish-American War. It was probably Helen Gould's influence that caused her to be hired as Secretary for the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. Here her interest in airships and planes became a passion, and she subsequently built many models of planes and airships. She first came to public attention at the Second Annual Exhibition of the Aero Club of America (December 1906). Todd then designed a full-size biplane which was built by C. & A. Witteman Company of Staten Island, New York, thanks to funding from Olivia Sage. Todd probably worked on its design and construction there, but she never piloted it, as far as we know. The plane was taken up in November 1910 by pilot Didier Masson, and Olivia Sage was there to see the flight. Only one year later, Todd's aviation career was over, and she became secretary to Mrs. Sage. Todd handled the philanthropist's voluminous correspondence between 1912 and 1918, but after her employer's death in 1918 she moved to California and died there in obscurity. [Crocker, Mrs. Russell Sage, pp. 262-263] [Commentary written by Dr. Ruth Crocker]
Item Description	This image is a photographic portrait of E. Lilian Todd. She is wearing a dark dress with a white collar. A dark tie is fastened at her neck with a brooch. Her hair appears to have been pulled back from her face and fastened at the back. [Item Description created by Auburn University Libraries]
File Name	Lilian Todd portrait.jpg
Repository	Unidentified newspaper clipping
Rights	This image is not the property of the Auburn University Libraries. Anyone wishing to use this image must contact the repository listed above for permission.
Digital Publisher	Auburn University Libraries
Mini-Collections	E. Lilian Todd Portraits Aviation Philanthropy, various