Colin Ashford (British, 20th C.) "Seaplane" Signed lower right. Original watercolor painting on Paper. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. 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. Overall Size: 14.25 x 21 in. Unframed. (B05958)