National Air and Space Museum Archives

A. Leo Stevens Glass Plate Photography Collection

Summary

Collection ID:
NASM.1997.0039
Creators:
Stevens, Albert Leo, 1873-1944
Dates:
1900-1915
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.52 Cubic feet
(1 slim legal document box) (1 shoebox) (1 small shoebox)
0.89 Linear feet
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection consists of 37 glass negatives, 22 glass lantern slides, and 4 transparencies depicting the life and career of Stevens, circa 1900-1915. There are also corresponding negatives and contact prints for these 63 images.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Albert Leo Stevens (1873-1944) was an accomplished balloonist and aviation pioneer. Stevens began making ascensions when he was twelve and began manufacturing balloons and dirigibles at the age of 20. Stevens was an exhibitor in parachute, balloon, dirigible, and human cannonball shows and also was a participant in races such as the Gordon Bennett Balloon Races. Stevens flew one of the very first successful dirigibles in the United States in 1906 and opened the first private airfield in the nation in 1909. In the latter part of his career, Stevens became a flight promoter and worked with such pioneering aviators as Harry Atwood, Harry Bingham Brown, George Beatty, and Harriet Quimby. Stevens also played a key role in the development of safety features for parachutes.

Administration

Immediate Source of Acquisition
Chris and Maureen Lynch, Valhalla Aerostation, Purchase, 1997, 1997-0039, Public Domain

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Use
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

More Information

General

General
NASMrev


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Airships Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Balloons Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Aeronautics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Aeronautics -- Exhibitions Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Glass negatives Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Transparencies Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lantern slides Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Stevens, Albert Leo, 1873-1944 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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