Description:

Early Aviation
n.p., n.d.
Rare Early Aviation Photo, 1907 Wels-Etrich Taube Monoplane
Photograph

A fascinating ca. 1909 silver print photograph of a Wels-Etrich "Taube" propeller monoplane in a hangar, with plane designer Igo Etrich seated in the cockpit. Bears photographer's backstamp of Robert Spatzier, Trautenau [now Trutnov], Czechoslovakia. A central vertical fold, linen-backed for conservation, with blue pencil annotations on verso. Still good. Measures 11.25" x 5.5".

Pioneering aeronautical engineer Ignaz "Igo" Etrich (1879-1967) began working on glider designs in 1898. In 1903, following a crash due to the craft's weight and instability, Etrich turned to Franz Wels, a fencing instructor who built models of monoplanes and had observed the aircraft of the Wright Brothers. Together, the two men designed the pioneering Etrich "Taube" ("dove" or "pigeon") monoplane in 1909.

The Taube's signature wings were modeled not from the bird which inspired the name, but from the seeds of the Javan cucumber (or Zanovia plant), which are characterized by upward-curving "wings" able to glide for miles.

Despite their success in design, Etrich and Wels parted ways in 1909, shortly before the aircraft's first launch.

Etrich then turned his attention to building an entirely different aircraft, a monoplane dubbed the "Etrich II" Taube and which used a Clerget water-cooled engine. On April 10, 1910, the Etrich II Taube made her first launch, quickly followed by a rough landing; the following day, however, the Taube flew smoothly for eight minutes and shortly thereafter began setting records in endurance flights.

The "Taube" was the first mass produced military airplane and used by Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces during the invasion of North Africa in 1911. During this engagement, it made the first bombing attack ever accomplished by an aircraft.

The Taube was also widely employed during the first six months of World War I, but it had poor rudder and lateral control that made it slow to turn and thus an easy target for the faster and more mobile Allied fighters of World War I, and removed from the Front. Etrich went on to design other aircraft, but by the end of World War I abandoned his aviation pursuits. His Taube, however, was the progenitor not only of future military aircraft, but left a lasting mark on the history of aviation.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 11.25" x 5.5"
  • Medium: Photograph

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June 4, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
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