1923 Press Photo – Francis Brévets Glider Design, Paris Aviation Archive

Original 1923 press photograph showing an early experimental glider design attributed to Francis Brévets, as documented in archival French aviation materials. The photograph was issued and stamped by Agence Rol of Paris, a prominent early 20th-century French photographic agency. The image is dated 1 September 1923 (with postal mark dated 8 September 1923 from Garas Youssif, Paris), and features a man seated in a lightweight, fabric-covered glider or experimental ornithopter, flanked by two large canvas hangars or exhibition tents.

The verso includes multiple archival stampings including:

• Agence Rol copyright and reproduction mark

• Paris administrative stamp

• Circular postmark (GARASYOUSSIF 8 SEP 1923)

• Handwritten attribution: Francis Aviation (possibly shorthand or stylized name referencing the inventor or agency)

The number 16839 is printed in white in the lower-left margin of the photograph, likely corresponding to the Agence Rol archive numbering system. The photo depicts a rare and possibly one-off aviation concept prototype from the interwar period. The design, while rudimentary, reflects the experimental fervor of the early 1920s aviation renaissance in France.

This image is of research value to aviation historians documenting pre-WWII European aeronautical experimentation, particularly unpowered or early ornithopter and glider designs. Its provenance and clearly dated archival markings further establish its authenticity and relevance for collectors, curators, or scholars of early French aviation innovation.

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