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This collection consists of nearly 250 glass plates, several folders of prints, and two boxes of glass plate envelopes affixed with small prints of the image formerly contained within them. The subject matter of the photography is primarily concerned with Alexander Graham Bell's tetrahedral experiments of 1906, flights of the Thomas Baldwin dirigible and the United States Signal Corps SC-1 free balloon (1908), and the Wright Flyer Army Trials at Fort Meyer, Virginia (1908 and 1909).
Identifier
NASM.XXXX.0549
Creator
Claudy, C. H. (Carl Harry), 1879-1957
Date
1906-1910
Provenance
Carl H. Claudy, gift, 1957, XXXX-0549, unknown
Extent
1.95 Cubic feet (1 legal document box; 2 flat boxes; 13 clamshells)
Archival Repository
National Air and Space Museum Archives
Scope and Contents
The Carl H. Claudy Photography Collection, held by the Archives Division of the National Air and Space Museum, consists of 249 glass plate negatives, mainly 4 x 5 inches in size, taken by Claudy from 1907 to 1909 and photographic contact prints made from the negatives. The subject matter of these images are divided into three main categories: Alexander Graham Bell's tetrahedral kite experiments (1907); the U.S. Army's trial flights of the Wright brothers' Military Flyer at Fort Meyer, Virginia (1908-1909); and lighter than air (LTA) flights including Thomas Baldwin's dirigible Signal Corps No. 1 and free balloon ascents by James C. McCoy's America and A. Leo Stevens' Signal Corps No. 10. The collection includes several prints from negatives broken or lost over time.
Arrangement note
Collection material has been arranged in the following series: Series I: Photographs of Alexander Graham Bell's Tetrahedral Kite Experiments (1907) Series II: Photographs of Wright Flyer Army Trials at Fort Meyer, Virginia (1908-1909) Series III: Photographs of LTA activity, including Baldwin Signal Corps No. 1 airship flights and several free balloon ascensions (1907-1908) Series IV: Claudy's original glass plate negatives. Due to the fragile condition of the negatives, this series is not available to researchers. Series V: Additional material, including Claudy's original negative envelopes and contact prints, copy negatives, and copies of scans of the original negatives on compact discs.
Rights
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, Please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Restrictions
No restrictions on access.
Citation
Carl H. Claudy Photography Collection, Acc. XXXX-0549, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Topics
U.S. Signal Corps SC-1 free balloon
Aeronautics, Military
Balloons
Aeronautics
Research aircraft
Kites
Airships
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials