Vintage Curtiss CR-1 Racer Bert Acosta Navy Photo Aeroplane Photo Supply 1921 For Sale

Vintage Curtiss CR-1 Racer Bert Acosta
Navy Photo Aeroplane Photo Supply 1921First Civilian Pulitzer Winner, Curtiss Navy Racer
DESCRIPTION:This vintage photograph shows Curtiss test pilot Bert Acosta standing beside the Curtiss CR-1 racer, the first of the two Navy racing biplanes Curtiss built in 1921, Navy serial A-6080. He wears a long belted leather overcoat, a necktie and tall leather boots, and a winged-figure trophy on a dark base stands on the ground beside him. Behind the airplane are a water tower, a smokestack, a factory hangar and a multi-story brick building with stone trim. The streamlined racer has a smooth nose with a dark exhaust stack along the side, a two-blade propeller, a barrel-shaped radiator between the landing gear struts and a U.S. star on the lower wing.The David Horn Collection records that Acosta test flew A-6080 on August 1, 1921. That November he won the Pulitzer Trophy race at Omaha in a Curtiss Navy racer at 176.7 mph, a closed-course record and the first Pulitzer win by a civilian. He was also first pilot on Richard Byrd\'s 1927 transatlantic flight in the Fokker America, which ended on the coast of France.This print was sold through the catalog of Aeroplane Photo Supply of Toronto, Canada. The reverse carries its stamps: Photo Number 3622, a Reproduction Forofferden notice and a catalogue price of 50 cents. It is a mid-20th-century dealer print of a 1921 photograph, not an original 1921 press print. The same photograph appears in the David Horn Collection at 1000aircraftphotos (search the site for Horn Collection No. 12893) under the same APS number, identified there as Curtiss pilot Bert Acosta with CR-1 A-6080. The site\'s APS catalog index likewise lists number 3622 as a Curtiss 23 CR-1, A-6080. The San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive holds a companion frame that appears to be from the same photo session, with the same racer, building and water tower (search Flickr for \"Curtiss : CR-2 : Racer\" catalog 00035580), where it is tagged with Acosta and titled CR-2, one of several museum titles for the 1921 racers.A note on identification: the reverse of this print has a pencil caption reading Curtiss R2C-1 Racer, and an earlier version of this listing followed that caption and named a different pilot. The aircraft does not match the later R2C-1 and the print matches the Horn Collection photograph, so the caption was set aside and this listing has been corrected. Images were scanned at 600dpi, so please review every photo closely, as they show the actual item.Every effort is made toward fact checking and provenance, including background research through news and historical archives. If any listing is incorrect in any way and you\'re unsatisfied with the item, please connect with me and I\'ll make it right. Orders placed before Noon CDT ship same day via Ground Advantage with tracking, so you know exactly when it will arrive. Returns accepted on all items exceeding $25 in cost. Every shipment goes out in rigid, professional packaging, sealed and protected in acid-free protectors. Shipping is free and already built into the price, so the BIN price is exactly what you pay, no surprise shipping costs at checkout.CONDITION:Vintage dealer print measuring approximately 4 5/8 x 2 7/8 inches, with a cream border typical of the period print stock. The image has a full tonal range with good detail. There is light overall toning consistent with age and minor handling wear, with no tears, creases or losses. A small dark half-circle sits at the left edge of the image area, part of the print as made. The reverse carries the pencil caption and the Aeroplane Photo Supply stamps described above. Please review all photos closely, as they are the best representation of actual condition.