S. F. Cody / War Kite. ca. 1910.
Price: $1680 (starting bid + 20% buyer’s premium)
Place an online bid, or CALL US NOW for this special price
212-787-4000 – Until July 29 only!
S. F. Cody / War Kite. ca. 1910.
A heroic bust—with auburn locks flowing, uniform glistening, and the gaze purposefully set on some distant adventure—rises out of an ominous, bat-like device on a pedestal. The inscribed column informs us that the gizmo is in fact the Famous War Kite and the gentleman is none other than S. F. Cody of Texas. Sam Cody, whose Buffalo Bill-like shows were popular in Europe, “became an aviation pioneer in England, underwriting his ventures with a Wild West show. He played off his name, was a Buffalo Bill look-alike, and had some special-order Colt firearms in his arsenal” (Buffalo Bill/Legend, p. 115). He was a most versatile man: in addition to his Wild West shows, he developed what were known as Cody War-Kites, which were used by the British before World War I as a small alternative to balloons for artillery spotting. Interestingly, Cody was also the first man to fly an airplane built in Britain in 1908, and also died in a plane crash.
Size: 20 x 30 in./50.8 x 76.2 cm
Condition: A-/ Slight tears at edges.
Printer: David Allen & Sons, Belfast
Reference: PAI-XXVI, 102
Key Words: Wild West
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Price: $1680 (starting bid + 20% buyer’s premium)
Place an online bid, or CALL US NOW for this special price
212-787-4000 – Until July 29 only!
S. F. Cody / War Kite. ca. 1910.
A heroic bust—with auburn locks flowing, uniform glistening, and the gaze purposefully set on some distant adventure—rises out of an ominous, bat-like device on a pedestal. The inscribed column informs us that the gizmo is in fact the Famous War Kite and the gentleman is none other than S. F. Cody of Texas. Sam Cody, whose Buffalo Bill-like shows were popular in Europe, “became an aviation pioneer in England, underwriting his ventures with a Wild West show. He played off his name, was a Buffalo Bill look-alike, and had some special-order Colt firearms in his arsenal” (Buffalo Bill/Legend, p. 115). He was a most versatile man: in addition to his Wild West shows, he developed what were known as Cody War-Kites, which were used by the British before World War I as a small alternative to balloons for artillery spotting. Interestingly, Cody was also the first man to fly an airplane built in Britain in 1908, and also died in a plane crash.
Size: 20 x 30 in./50.8 x 76.2 cm
Condition: A-/ Slight tears at edges.
Printer: David Allen & Sons, Belfast
Reference: PAI-XXVI, 102
Key Words: Wild West
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
