Travel Air\'s First Airplane - 1925 Model 1 Biplane Photo 8x10 For Sale

Travel Air\'s First Airplane - 1925 Model 1 Biplane Photo 8x10
Cessna, Beech & Stearman\'s Wichita Startup, 1925This is an original vintage 8 x 10 inch photograph of a Travel Air Model 1 biplane banking in flight over open farmland, factory photo number 1012, printed and distributed by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas.Beech absorbed the Travel Air photographic archive years later, which is why this early-company image carries a Beech Aircraft Corp stamp rather than a Travel Air one.The verso carries a typed factory caption reading \"Travel Air Model 1, 3-place open cockpit biplane, Curtis Wright OX-5 engine, 90 HP, June 1925,\" along with a handwritten serial number, 11669D.A close, sharp crop of the tail confirms the lettering \"Travel Air Mfg. Co. Inc., Wichita, Kansas,\" and the pilot is clearly visible in the rear cockpit, wearing goggles but no flying helmet, an unusual and characterful touch for a factory publicity print of this era.Travel Air Manufacturing Company was founded in Wichita, Kansas on January 26, 1925 by three men who would each become legends in American aviation: Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech, and Lloyd Stearman.The company\'s first airplane took flight that March, and this photograph is dated just three months later, placing it squarely in that first production run, a run that historians place at roughly fifteen to nineteen aircraft built in all of 1925.Within a few short years Travel Air would grow into the largest volume aircraft manufacturer in the United States, and Wichita would earn the nickname \"Air Capital of the World.\" Every one of those three founders went on to put his own name on an aircraft company: Cessna, Beechcraft, and Stearman all trace their roots back to this single startup and, in a very real sense, back to airplanes like the one in this photograph.This piece pairs naturally with early Wichita aviation history, Golden Age biplane collections, and any display built around the Cessna, Beech, or Stearman family of companies.It ships flat and well protected, and both sides of the original print are shown in the listing photos, including close-up crops of the caption label, the Beech Aircraft Corp stamp, and the tail lettering.CONDITIONThis is a genuine vintage silver gelatin photographic print, not a modern or digital reprint. The photograph itself was taken in June 1925, but this particular print was produced by Beech Aircraft Corporation from the original factory negative, most likely sometime after 1932 when Beech took over the old Travel Air archive; buyers should not assume this specific print dates to 1925 itself, only the image it depicts.The print is likely after 1932.The image is clean, sharp, and well contrasted, with no fading of the aircraft or the sky. There is light wear at the corners consistent with age and factory handling, and faint overall toning to the print stock. There are no tears, no creases through the image area, and no writing on the front.The verso carries the typed factory caption label, the Beech Aircraft Corp stamp, and a handwritten serial number in blue ink, all intact and legible. Measures approximately 8 x 10 inches, confirmed against a ruler. Please review all listing photos closely.