Melbourne Centenary Air Race
1934. Vintage silver gelatin photograph, three partially faded autographs of race sponsor and two aviators in ink on image lower right, caption and date in ink on backing below image, 24.5 x 29.4cm. Surface crazing and slight silvering, laid down on original backing. Framed. The autographs are by race sponsor Macpherson Robertson and winners Charles W. Scott (Brit., 1903–1946) and Tom Campbell Black (Brit., 1899–1936). The photograph shows the winning plane, a de Havilland 88 Comet named “Grosvenor House”, at the RAAF Base Laverton in Victoria on 23 October 1934 (the plane’s name was in recognition of sponsorship from the Grosvenor House Hotel in London). This aircraft was developed specifically by de Havilland to participate in the 1934 England to Australia Melbourne Centenary Air Race, also known as the MacRobertson Air Race. Sir Macpherson Robertson (1859–1945) was an Australian philanthropist, entrepreneur and founder of chocolate and confectionery company MacRobertson's. In 1934 he co-founded Western Australian airline MacRobertson Miller Airlines. In the same year he sponsored the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race with a prize of 75,000. Ref: Wiki; Museums Victoria (precis of John Leggitt’s book on Charles W. Scott).
Item #CL206-46
Price (AUD): $1,650.00 other currencies