National Air and Space Museum Archives

French Aviation Catalog [Office d'Aviation Richelieu Automobiles]

Summary

Collection ID:
NASM.XXXX.0825
Dates:
circa 1910
Languages:
French
.
Physical Description:
0.05 Cubic feet
1 folder
Repository:
This single-item collection consists of a French-language catalogue issued circa 1910 by the Aviation Office (Office d'Aviation) of Richelieu Automobiles in Paris, France. The catalogue consists of loose pages bound together in a decorative cover. Individual pages detail aviation equipment and services offered by Richelieu Automobiles, including airplanes from assorted designers and manufacturers, Astra balloons and airships, engines, aircraft accessories, fabric, hangars, toy airplanes, insurance, flight clothing, and books.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This French language catalogue ("Catalogue B"), issued circa 1910 by the Aviation Office (Office d'Aviation) of Richelieu Automobiles, consists of 46 double-sided black and white printed sheets inserted into a heavy brown paper cover illustrated with a four-color serigraph print, bound with a blue silk cord. The front cover depicts a "Vision of the Future" ("Vision d'Avenir") at top with an eagle in flight at bottom; the back cover features the mythological figure of Daedalus in flight over Paris, with aircraft in the background. The first two sheets provide information about aviation services offered by Richelieu Automobiles, the organization of the catalogue, and include an exterior view of Richelieu's showroom at 3, Avenue de'Opéra, Paris, France. This copy of the catalogue does not include sheets for all sections listed in the introduction (Classes).
Classe 1 - Aéroplanes, Monoplans [Airplanes, Monoplanes]: Blériot, Hanriot, Koechlin, Santos Dutheil-Chalmers [Santos-Dumont Demoiselle with Dutheil-Chalmers engine].
Classe 2 - Aéroplanes, Biplans [Airplanes, Biplanes]: Henri Farman, Maurice Farman, Sommer, Voisin, Wright.
Classe 3 - Moteurs [Engines]: Moteurs légers à ailettes pour l'aviation [Lightweight air-cooled engines for aviation]; Moteurs à circulation d'eau pour l'aviation [Water-cooled engines for aviation]; Aster, Dansette, E.N.V., Gnome, Labor-Picker, Panhard et Levassor, Renault, Wolseley [Vickers Sons & Maxim Ltd.]
Classe 4 - Dirigeables - Sphériques [Airships - Balloons]: Astra.
Classe 5 - Accessoires [Accessories]: Tendeurs et Boulons [turnbuckles and bolts]; Magnétos [magnetos] Lavalette-Eisemann, Ruthardt, U. H. (Unterberg et Helmle); Bougie "Oléo" Aviation [sparkplugs]; B & S "Selve" Aluminium [aluminum radiators, fuel and oil tanks, fittings, wheel rims, coolers]; Zimmermann, Radiateur d'Aviation [radiators]; Automobiline, Oléonaphte Huile D.F. [fuel and oil for airplanes and automobiles]; Hélices [propellers] L. Chauvière, Drzewiecki, Passerat et Radiguet, W. L. D.; Fixator, Commandes Irréversibles, Leviers [control assemblies, levers]; Chauvin et Arnoux [precision instruments for aircraft including tachometer, anemometers, inclinometers, landing indicators]; Phares [lights] B. R. C. Alpha, Ducellier; Pneus [tires] Dunlop.
Classe 6 - Toiles [Fabrics]: Hutchinson, Metzeler.
Classe 7 - Hangars [Hangars]: Hangars Démontables [temporary hangars], Hangars Fixes (Système E. Laillet) [permanent hangars].
Classe 9 - Réduction d'appareils - Jouets scientifiques [Scale models - Scientific toys]: Jouets scientifiques [rubber-powered flying airplane models and parts].
Classe 12 - Assurances [Insurance]: Richelieu Automobiles.
Classe 13 - Vêtements [Clothing]: de Baeder.
Classe 14 - Librairie [Bookstore]: Richelieu Automobiles.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The catalogue, identified as NASM Archives item number NASM-9A18906, is presented in its original order.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
The company known as "Office d'Aviation – Richelieu Automobiles" was established in Paris, France, in June 1909 by Viscount Henry de Dampierre, Jean d'Orlyé, and Belgian aviator Ferdinand de Baeder, to offer customers everything related to airplanes, airships, balloons, engines, and automobiles, including related accessories and services. Their main showroom was located at 3, Avenue de'Opéra, with administrative offices at 42, Rue de Richelieu, and a building at 19, Rue des Entrepreneurs where they offered aircraft construction and repair services as well as aircraft storage at the rate of 10 centimes per square meter per day. The business incorporated as a Sociéte Anonyme on August 10, 1910, only to dissolve just over a year later on September 12, 1911.

Administration

Author
Melissa A. N. Keiser
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Library of Congress, transfer, 1966[?], NASM.XXXX.0825
Processing Information
Arranged, described and encoded by Melissa A. N. Keiser, 2022.

Digital Content


Using the Collection

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.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Preferred Citation
French Aviation Catalog, Acc. NASM.XXXX.0825, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Related Materials
A second circa 1910 version of an Office d'Aviation catalogue, identified as NASM Archives item number NASM-9A00722, appears in the John J. Ide Collection, NASM.XXXX.0070. This copy (44 pages total) is made up of many of the same sheets in NASM-9A18906 but includes additional airplane sheets for the Antoinette, Bréguet, Curtiss, Nieuport, de Pischoff (L'Autoplane), Savary, and Tellier companies. This catalogue is also presented in its original order, and contains several duplicate sheets.

More Information

Bibliography

Bibliography
"Formation de Sociétés,"
Le Courrier. Anciennement Guide du commerce et Courrier des hôtels ["puis" Journal quotidien ; Feuille officielle d'annonces légales et judiciaires]
. July 6, 1909, page 5. Gallica. https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k51632935.
"Office d'aviation Richelieu-Automobile,"
La Revue aérienne
. September 25, 1910, page 557. Gallica. https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k65549998.
"Dissolutions de Sociétes,"
Revue Industrielle
. No. 43, October 28, 1911, page 532. Gallica. https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9775959q.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Aeronautics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Aeronautics -- 1903-1916 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Aeronautics, Commercial Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Airplanes Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Airships -- 1900-1910 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hangars Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Aircraft engines Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Propulsion systems Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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