1935 Elmer Dyer Photo Northrop Delta X-ABED Doomed by Fire 7.5"x9" Pan Am For Sale

1935 Elmer Dyer Photo Northrop Delta X-ABED Doomed by Fire 7.5x9in NEA WirePan Am's Northrop Delta X-ABED
Destroyed by Fire Within a Year of This ShotDESCRIPTIONWithin about a year of this shutter click, the aircraft pictured here ceased to exist, destroyed by an engine fire on the ground in May 1934.This original press photograph was shot by Elmer G. Dyer, Hollywood's first cinematographer to specialize in aerial photography and an Academy Award nominee for Air Force (1943).Dyer built his reputation shooting the dogfight sequences in Howard Hughes' Hell's Angels (1930) and went on to lens aerial work for Dirigible, Night Flight, Lost Horizon, Only Angels Have Wings, and dozens of other golden age Hollywood productions.This piece is a studio credit still rather than a single frame pulled from a film reel, a genuine crossover between studio production history and vintage aviation photography.A clearly visible painted X on the tail fin, along with a partial marking on the fuselage, are believed to identify the aircraft as X-ABED, a Northrop Delta 1-B flown by Aerovias Centrales, S.A., the Mexican subsidiary of Pan American Airways, on the Los Angeles to Mexico City route beginning in August 1933.Surviving photographs of X-ABED found in research are ground shots taken at its Los Angeles departure point, which makes this dramatic in-flight, cloud-backed view a genuinely uncommon angle on an aircraft that flew for only about nine months before it was lost.The print carries a Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) Reference Department stamp dated March 7, 1935, the date the wire service filed and circulated the image, not the date it was captured, so this photograph was almost certainly taken during the aircraft's brief service window and held in the wire archive afterward. Scanned at 600dpi for archival documentation. Every effort is made toward fact checking and provenance research including background research through news and historical archives. If any listing is incorrect in any way and you are unsatisfied with the item, please reach out and I will make it right.Orders placed before noon CDT ship same day via Ground Advantage with tracking so you know exactly when it will arrive. Shipping is free and already built into the price, so the BIN price is exactly what you pay, no surprise shipping costs at checkout. Returns accepted on all items exceeding $25 in cost. Rigid, professional packaging on all shipments, sealed and protected in acid free materials.CONDITIONThis vintage press photograph shows typical wire service handling and light archival aging consistent with age. The image itself has strong contrast and a dramatic, sharply lit silhouette against a towering cloud formation. The front carries a crisp embossed photographer stamp reading Elmer G. Dyer, Hollywood, lower right corner. The reverse carries the dated NEA Reference Department stamp along with period pencil handling notes and crop marks typical of a wire service morgue file. There is a small corner crease at the lower right edge and light scattered foxing spots consistent with age. Overall the photograph presents well for its age with no tears, no creases through the image area, and clear, legible stamps and markings throughout.

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