Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Aviation

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0060.S01.01.Aviation
Creators:
Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969
Dates:
circa 1750-1970
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
6.02 Cubic feet
consisting of 10 boxes, 3 half boxes, 1 folder, 8 oversize folders, 1 map case folder, 1 flat box (partial).
Repository:
A New York bookseller, Warshaw assembled this collection over nearly fifty years. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana: Aviation forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Subseries 1.1: Subject Categories. The Subject Categories subseries is divided into 470 subject categories based on those created by Mr. Warshaw. These subject categories include topical subjects, types or forms of material, people, organizations, historical events, and other categories. An overview to the entire Warshaw collection is available here: Warshaw Collection of Business Americana

Scope and Contents note

Scope and Contents note
This material consists of information from a number of different businesses related to the manufacture, development and design of airplanes and other aircraft. There is also a substantial amount of material from airline companies and from companies involved in the manufacture and production of aeronautical parts and supplies. A number of these companies were involved in manufacturing engines and were automobile manufacturers. Other parts and supplies include aircraft measuring instruments, radiators, wings, tires, carburetors, and fabric. These companies tend to have catalogues of the aircraft that they manufacture including information on controls, wheel retraction, fuel system, cabin construction, etc. The aircraft is manufactured for commercial, military, sporting and personal use. A small amount of material concerning companies involved in aerial advertising, aerial photography and map making is included. There is also information on businesses that served as agents for people who performed acts relating to aviation particularly at amusement parks and fairs. There is very little information from clubs, associations and training schools.
The material consists primarily of scattered correspondence on letterhead stationery, printed advertisements, articles, catalogues, menus from airline companies, luggage tags, timetables,postcards, lithographs,photographs, company publications, bulletins, newspaper clippings, early advertisements, reports, periodicals, pamphlets, patents, and books. There is a substantial amount of images including photographs and lithographs of airplanes, airships and balloons. A file of visual references was made by staff consisting of images of aircraft used by companies to advertise their products. There is also information on Lindbergh and Byrd mainly articles, photographs or programs honoring them.
Publications relating to aviation include topics such as aeronautical occupations, linking rail and air transportation, problems with improving aircraft, airplanes in warfare, aircraft safety and a chronology of the development and utilization of aircraft.

Arrangement note

Arrangement note
Materials in box one and two are information from airline companies and are arranged by name of company. Box three, four and five consist of manufacturers and dealers of aeronautical parts and supplies and are also arranged by name of company. Box six contains general images mainly photographs and lithographs. Publications including periodicals, bulletins and newsletters devoted in the interest of the aviation field is in box seven. The publications are arranged in alphabetical order. Box eight and nine are arranged by type including newspaper clippings, manuals, early advertisements dating from the late eighteenth century,maps, catalogues, programs, patents, etc. Articles, pamphlets and books discussing various topics related to aviation are in box ten. These publications are also arranged by type. Box eleven also has books on aviation but the bulk of the material is bulletins from the War Department and are arranged by date.

Administration

Author
Vanessa Broussard-Simmons
Immediate Source of Acquisition note
Aviation is a portion of the Business Ephemera Series of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Accession AC0060 purchased from Isadore Warshaw in 1967. Warshaw continued to accumulate similar material until his death, which was donated in 1971 by his widow, Augusta. For a period after acquisition, related materials from other sources (of mixed provenance) were added to the collection so there may be content produced or published after Warshaw's death in 1969. This practice has since ceased.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation note
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Aviation, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Conditions Governing Access note
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Conditions Governing Use note
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Materials in the Archives Center

Materials in the Archives Center
Archives Center Collection of Business Americana (AC0404)

Forms Part Of


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Ephemera Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Business ephemera Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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