After his success with designing aircraft for the Aerial Experiment Association, Glenn Curtiss formed his own company, the Herring-Curtiss Company, in March 1909, in association with Augustus Herring.

Earlier in the same month, the Aeronautical Society of New York had placed an order from Curtiss for a new aircraft.

Curtiss flew the aircraft to win the Scientific American trophy (which he had won before in the AEA June Bug that he had designed).

Encouraged by this success, Curtiss entered the aircraft into the first international air show to be held at Reims in France in August 1909.

Data from Aerofiles : Curtiss[2]General characteristics Performance