A former mechanic and motorcycle champion, Efimov (1881–1919) made his first public flight in Russia on 21 March 1910 — three weeks before Nice, before 100,000 spectators at the Odessa racetrack, a moment that triggered a wave of national enthusiasm for aviation. In April he arrived in Nice under a restrictive contract with Baron Ksidias, an Odessa banker who had financed his training in exchange for control over his earnings. Flying aircraft No. 11, he won approximately 77,000 francs in cumulative prizes — including eight consecutive daily take-off prizes, his shortest run a mere 10.5 metres — enough to repay Henri Farman, who had personally lent him the money to buy back his independence, and to establish himself as one of the first Russian aviators of international standing.
The HF-II he flew was Henri Farman’s first aircraft designed and built independently, breaking from his earlier collaboration with engineer Gabriel Voisin. Powered by a 50 hp Gnôme rotary engine, it was among the first aircraft to offer effective lateral control — a crucial innovation that Farman developed directly into the HF-III, which became one of the most widely used aircraft of the following years.
Efimov’s career ended during the Russian Civil War. Retreating with Bolshevik forces after the front collapsed, he reached Odessa on foot after his motorized column was abandoned near Kherson. In August 1919, White forces landed in the city. Efimov was arrested by the crew of the destroyer Zhivoy and executed.
Limited to 15 numbered copies, the Piezography® Pro print is produced on Arches Velin BFK Rives Natural, a 100% cotton paper made by cylinder mould — a process that deposits fibres multidirectionally, giving the sheet its characteristic dimensional stability and its particular surface.
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The plate
Historical research on this plate is ongoing. Findings will be updated as they emerge.
