?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 4,000 - $ 6,000
DESIGNER UNKNOWN AIRPLANE RIDES / INMAN BROS. FLYING CIRCUS. Circa 1929. 38x25 inches, 96 1/2x63 1/2 cm. Condition A-: minor creases and darkening at edges; minor water stains at top edge. Hand-signed by William R. Inman in ink. Paper. The Inman Brothers' Flying Circus operated a 20 passenger Boeing 80-A and a smaller Ford tri-motor. During the time, these models were being used by airline companies on their airmail and passenger routes, but the Inman Brothers offered novelty flights to the American public for just 50 cents. "They were responsible for introducing hundreds of thousands of people to the safety and comfort [and novelty] of airline travel" (Airline Artistry p. 3). Their show also delighted visitors with a parachute jump. "It is interesting to note that they called their 80-A a 'Boeing Clipper.' The Clipper trademark was registered by Pan American Airways in 1931 for their aircraft; the huge B-314 flying boats were the planes most remembered as Boeing Clippers. [Inman] had to sue PAA to retain the rights to the Clipper name" (ibid). Airline Artistry p. 3, Resnick 12.
