Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Waldemar A. Ayres Collection

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0077
Creators:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Naval History
Ayres, Waldemar A., 1909- (inventor)
Dates:
1954-1974
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
3.3 Cubic feet
10 boxes
Repository:

Scope and Contents note

Scope and Contents note
Collection deals primarily with Ayres' artificial gill underwater breathing equipment project. Includes correspondence (1956-1971), personal papers, three boxes of research notes, documentation of the success of the invention, and subsequent patents and patent litigation; also publicity for the artificial gill, items from Ayres' other projects, and related periodicals, brochures, articles, etc.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Divided into eight series.
Series 1: Correspondence, 1956-1971
Series 2: Personal Papers
Series 3: Research Notes On Artificial Gills
Series 4: Documentation of Success of Gill
Series 5: Patents and Patent Litigation
Series 6: Publicity For Gill
Series 7:Ayres's Other Projects
Series 8: Related Journals, Magazines, Articles, Brochures, and Catalogs

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
Ayres was an inventor who worked independently and for a number of companies. Among his varied research interests were radar, stereo photography, and aircraft navigation systems. In the 1950s-1960s he developed gill-type underwater breathing equipment.

Administration

Author
David A. Stevens
Custodial History
Collection transferred from the Division of Naval History (now Division of Political and Military History), 11/23/83.
Processing Information
Collection processed by David A. Stevens, 1986

Digital Content

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Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Waldemar A. Ayres Collection, 1954-1974, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
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.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Underwater exploration Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Research (document genres) Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Underwater breathing equipment Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Periodicals Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Patents Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Personal papers Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Naval history Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Inventors -- 1940-1990 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gill-type underwater breathing equipment Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Correspondence -- 1930-1950 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
archivescenter@si.edu