Henry Ford and Glenn Curtiss with Curtiss Flying Boat, 1913

01

Artifact Overview

Henry Ford felt something of a kinship with aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss. When this photo was taken in 1913, Curtiss was locked in a bitter patent dispute with the Wright Company, despite Curtiss's aileron control method being mechanically different from the Wright brothers' wing-warping technique. The fight reminded Ford of his own difficult struggle against the Selden automobile patent.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

1913

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

P.O.1933

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 8 in
Width: 10.25 in

Inscriptions

Typing on sheet of paper adhered to back of image reads: Glen Curtis and Henry Ford at Hammondsport, New York in 1913. Henry Ford visited Glen Curtis to encourage his efforts to break the Wright patent monopoly. Only two years after Henry Ford had won the Selden Suit he belived that Curtis' activity would mean as much to aviation as his successful fight against the automobile industry. Source - Fred Verville.