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 Summary

This collection consists of two scrapbooks containing aerial views of the New York City area with related newspaper clippings.

 Biographical / Historical

The Fairchild group of companies grew out of the aerial photography interests of Sherman M. Fairchild. Fairchild developed the first synchronized camera shutter and flash in 1916 and in 1919 developed a specialized camera for the purpose of aerial photography that featured a between-the-lens shutter. By 1924, Fairchild had established Fairchild Aerial Surveys, Inc. which secured contracts to photo-map various areas, including New York City. The photography produced by Fairchild Aerial Surveys, Inc. was used for a variety of applications including city planning, tax appraisal work, and geological surveys, and the company also introduced many types of equipment pertaining to aerial photography. Fairchild Aerial Surveys, Inc. went out of business in 1965.

 Identifier

NASM.XXXX.0043

Creator

Fairchild Aerial Surveys

Date

Circa 1929-1931

Provenance

No donor information, unknown, unknown, NASM.XXXX.0043

Extent

0.51 Cubic feet (1 flat box)

Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of two scrapbooks containing aerial views of the New York City area with related newspaper clippings. The aerial views, which were taken by Fairchild Aerial Surveys, Inc. and reproduced in an unidentified publication, showcase prominent city locations. The photographs are numerically arranged as if in a feature series, and each photograph has the caption "Around New York in an Airplane," followed by the location and a textual description of that area. The first scrapbook contains entries 1-100 and the second scrapbook has entries 101-154 (some numbers are not included). The second scrapbook also contains additional clippings that show other views of the New York City area.

Arrangement note

Collection is in original order.

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

New York City Aerial Photographs, NASM.XXXX.0043, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Topics

Aerial photography

Type

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Aerial photographs

Clippings

Scrapbooks