curtissmodele

At Keuka Lake, near Hammondsport, upstate New York.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Bancroft_Law "Ruth Bancroft Law (May 21, 1887 - 1970) was a pioneer American aviator during the 1910s." "Law's greatest feat took place on 19 November 1916, when she broke the existing cross-America flight air speed record of 452 miles (728 km) set by Victor Carlstrom by flying non-stop from Chicago to New York State, a distance of 590 miles (950 km). The next day she flew on to New York City. Flying over Manhattan, her fuel cut out, but she glided to a safe landing on Governors Island and was met by United States Army Captain Henry 'Hap' Arnold."

See www.earlyaviators.com/eoliver.htm and www.earlyaviators.com/eoliver1.htm

"Leonard Wood (October 9, 1860 – August 7, 1927) was a physician who served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba, and Governor General of the Philippines. " Also tried for the Republican Presidential nomination in 1920.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Wood

see also

See for another picture that looks to be of the same occasion.
The San Diego Air and Space Museum has lots of photos of Ruth: www.flickr.com/search/?w=49487266@N07&q=ruth%20law

Ruth Law flew a modified Curtiss Model E "pusher" biplane. The story is that she wanted to purchase one of the newer Model R tractor biplanes but Curtiss refused to sell her one because (pick one or more) a) they were backed up on orders with war production b) Curtiss considered the Model R too much plane for a "girl" c) Curtiss was backing his own pilot, Victor Carlstrom. Law's Model E was modified with a larger engine (100hp) and prop (12"!), supplementary fuel tanks, and a short aluminum windshield. Since Law had learned to fly on Wright "wing warping" airplanes the cockpit was retrofitted with lever controls. She broke Carlstrom's record set only 2 weeks earlier. They both left from Chicago hoping to make it all the way to NYC in one hop. Carlstrom made it to Erie, PA (452 miles) before setting down to refuel. Law made it to Hornell, NY (590 miles.) Her brother, Rodman Law was a movie stuntman and might have been even crazier than Ruth. He made parachute jumps from the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge and once tried to ride a giant rocket.

The date on the lower left side of the image says 6-11-13 I don't know what type of flying machine they're sitting in, but they certainly did not go anywhere in it. They were dressed for photo opps, not flying. :-)

It looks like there is something about this in the Smithsonian Arcihves, NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE ARCHIVES Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection Accession XXXX-0096 (PDF), p. 21: L.A. "Jack" Vilas's flying boat, 1913, with portraits of F.J. Bersbach, H.F. McCormick and Vilas I'm not sure if that really adds any information! Harold McCormick seems to be: Harold Fowler McCormick (1872 – 1941) was chairman of the board of International Harvester Company. (Wikipedia article).

They do appear to be in Vilas's flying boat: www.aviationhalloffamewisconsin.com/inductees/vilas.htm

According to memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=hhdatapage&fileN... a Frank J Bersbach was the son of Alfred Bersbach, owner of a Wilmette Illinois house documented in the HABS survey. See hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.il0312

Harold F McCormick left a collection of aeronautica to Princeton: diglib.princeton.edu/ead/getEad?eadid=C0496 He appears to have been one of the organizers of the first International Aviation Meet held in Grant Park, Illinois, in 1911 and the owner of a hydroplane built for him by Glenn Curtiss. So this may be his own plane.