• See Overview section below also
• Circa 1937
• Original period photo, not a reproduction print
• Subject: Dornier Do 18 German civil mail flying boat
• Aircraft name visible: Zephir
• German civil registration visible: D-ARUN
• Tail marking visible: swastika (period German insignia)
• Likely location: New York City waters
• Location is likely/probable, but not definitively proven
• Location based on photographer & related series images
• Dimensions: 2 3/4 x 4 9/16 in. (6.99 x 11.59 cm)

• Age-related wear
• Light handling wear & surface marks
• Minor edge & corner wear
• Verso: paper residue from prior album mounting
• Verso text: “Dornier Do-18 / Junkers Jumo 205-c 600 hp each”
• Photographer imprint present
• Imprint not fully legible
• Overall condition: Good

Zephir was a Dornier Do 18, a German twin-engine flying boat introduced in the mid-1930s and developed specifically for extended overwater flights. In the pre-war period, it was closely associated with civil mail service and route-evaluation work, notable for its use of diesel aircraft engines (Junkers Jumo 205 series). These engines were selected for their efficiency and suitability for long-range operations.

The plane's German registration, D-ARUN, is clearly marked on the fuselage. During its civil service, Zephir was employed by Deutsche Luft Hansa on demanding long-range routes linking Europe, Africa, and South America. She was used in mail and route-evaluation work along the South Atlantic corridor, operating between staging points in Germany and Western Europe, down the African coast, and onward to Brazil. 

While no definitive landmarks are identifiable in this photo, the photographer being based in Queens, New York coupled with the broader dated series he produced point to a New York City location. Other photos within the same series are dated to the mid-to-late 1930s and are clearly marked as having been taken in New York. 

Taken together, this image documents a rare moment of pre-war international aviation exchange, when foreign civil aircraft could still appear openly in American waters for demonstration, evaluation, or transit before World War II curtailed such encounters.