S.6B Schneider Trophy Machine Mitchell Early Aviation 1931 - RPPC Photo Postcard For Sale

A 5.5x3.5" vintage RPPC photo postcard from an impressive collection of original, early aviation photos and postcards that we acquired from an sale house in London.

Photo Overview

This real photo postcard captures the Supermarine S.6B (serial S1595), the legendary British racing seaplane that won the Schneider Trophy outright for Great Britain in 1931. Designed by R.J. Mitchell, the same engineer who would later create the Supermarine Spitfire, the S.6B is shown skimming across the water with its propeller spinning and a fine spray trailing from its twin floats. The sleek monoplane was powered by a Rolls-Royce R engine, and its low-drag streamlined fuselage represented the cutting edge of aviation technology in the early 1930s.

Published by Valentine's of Dundee as part of their photographic postcard series, this card identifies the aircraft as the "Schneider Trophy Machine S.6B" in the printed caption. The image is a crisp, well-contrasted gelatin silver photographic print on genuine postcard stock, making it a desirable collectible for enthusiasts of early British aviation, Schneider Trophy history, and the lineage that led to the Spitfire.

Historical Notes

The Supermarine S.6B made history on 13 September 1931 when Flight Lieutenant John Boothman flew S1595 around the course off Calshot Spit at an average speed of 340.08 mph, securing Britain's third consecutive Schneider Trophy victory and winning the trophy permanently. Just sixteen days later, on 29 September 1931, Flight Lieutenant George Stainforth flew the same aircraft to set a new world air speed record of 407.5 mph, becoming the first person to exceed 400 mph. The technical lessons learned from the S.6B program, particularly R.J. Mitchell's mastery of streamlined monoplane design and the development of the high-output Rolls-Royce R engine, fed directly into Mitchell's creation of the Supermarine Spitfire, which entered service in 1938 and became one of the decisive fighters of the Second World War. The surviving S.6B, S1595, is preserved today at the Science Museum in London.

Browse our complete Early Aviation photograph collection.

Text Present

Front (printed caption at bottom): SCHNEIDER TROPHY MACHINE "S. 6B."
Front (on tail): S 1595
Front (lower right): 5795

Back (printed): VALENTINE'S POST CARD - FAMOUS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD - FOR CORRESPONDENCE - FOR ADDRESS ONLY - THIS IS A REAL PHOTOGRAPH - PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN - 33-1
Back (handwritten in pencil): Schneider Trophy

Print analysis

This is a genuine real photo postcard (RPPC), a gelatin silver photographic print on Valentine's postcard stock, marked "THIS IS A REAL PHOTOGRAPH" and "PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN." The Valentine's 33-1 series code and the contemporary subject matter place production in the early to mid 1930s, consistent with the 1931 event. This is an original period photographic postcard.

Condition

In good to excellent vintage/antique condition. Please check photos for precise details.

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