Basil Smith: Seaplane/Benoist Type XIV Airboat

Artist: Basil Smith
1925 -
Nationality: British
Artwork Year: 1990
Image Size: 6 by 7 inches
Overall Size: 9 by 10 inches
Medium: Water Color on Hot Press Illustration Board

This artwork features the classic Benoist Type XIV Airboat, designed and built by Thomas Benoist in St. Louis, Missouri. On January 1, 1914, the airboat ushered in the New Year with a bumpy flight between Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida, which established the world's first regularly scheduled airline service. Along this route, the Type XIV routinely carried a pilot, one passenger and a load of express cargo over the eighteen-mile trip between the two cities on a flight lasting about twenty-three minutes. The regular fare of five dollars covered a single passenger, providing the combined weight of passenger and luggage did not exceed two hundred pounds. Express cargo shipments ranged from newspapers to correspondence to hams and sides of bacon. Unfortunately, the venture was unprofitable and folded on March 31, 1914. Yet this pioneer air service brought the world one step closer to the modern convenience of air freight shippers and passenger flights and may even be considered a forerunner of today's express mail services. In any case, the Tampa/St.Petersburg carrier of 1914 definitely helped to earn the vintage seaplane its place in history.

This painting originally appeared on the Fleetwood® First Day Cover of the U.S. $1 Seaplane 1914 stamp issued April 20, 1990.

Artwork Copyright © 1990 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB12481

US$ Price: $1,625.00

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