“Times” Curtiss Biplane

In October 1916, The New York Times commissioned the aviator Victor Carlstrom to fly a Times-branded biplane from Chicago to New York, carrying mail and possibly setting a record for longest nonstop flight between those two cities. This Times photo of Carlstrom and his Curtiss R-7 is now available to you, printed on giclée archival photo paper. It is available framed or unframed, and includes a Times certificate of authenticity.

This print is part of The New York Times Early Edition Collection, inspired by items from The Times’s vast archive and history. Early in the 20th century, The Times sponsored aviators and explorers, part of efforts to boost circulation. The Carlstrom expedition was part of that push. But Carlstrom was forced down early and did not achieve his “sunrise to sunset” flight goal. But the mail got through, ahead of its anticipated schedule, and the flight did set a nonstop record, just not the one intended.

Though the photo was taken in 1916, this reprint replicates the look of the original through the giclée process. It uses a high-resolution ink-jet printer to deposit dots of ink onto archival photo paper; the ink is absorbed into the paper, making it look more like a printed photograph.