National Air and Space Museum Archives

Harper's Weekly Cover with Charles Ritchel's Airship

Summary

Collection ID:
NASM.2004.0053
Creators:
Harper's Magazine Foundation
Dates:
bulk 1878
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.05 Cubic feet
(1 folder)
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The cover of Harper's Weekly in New York, on 13 July 1878, depicts Ritchel's airship in flight.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
In 1878 Charles Francis Ritchel, of Corry, Pennsylvania, invented an airship composed of a barrel-shaped gas bag attached to a frame with propellers, and powered by a hand crank. Ritchel was too heavy to fly the airship himself, and was thus always forced to find a pilot. The first public flight of his craft was in Philadelphia's Concert Hall in May 1878, and the first outdoor flight was in June 1878 in Hartford, Connecticut. He then went on to conduct many more successful flights both indoors and outdoors, mainly in New England.

Administration

Immediate Source of Acquisition
Jane L. Crotser, Gift, 2004

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access.
Preferred Citation
Harper's Weekly Cover with Charles Ritchel's Airship, Accession 2004-0053, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
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

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Airships Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Aeronautics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Illustrations Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ritchel, Charles F. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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