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Catalog Data

Creator:
Krainik, Cliff  Search this
Names:
Brady, Mathew B., approximately 1823-1896  Search this
Lowe, Thaddeus S. C.  Search this
Myers, Carl, 1842-1925  Search this
Myers, Mary, "Carlotta Queen of the Air"  Search this
Stevens, Albert Leo, 1873-1944  Search this
Extent:
3.19 Cubic feet (2 shoeboxes; 3 flatboxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Stereoscopic photographs
Postcards
Photographs
Woodcuts
Date:
1859-1934
Summary:
This 19th and 20th century ballooning memorabilia collection contains the following items, which have been meticulously inventoried: 112 stereoscopic photographs; 107 photographs; 84 postcards, trade cards, valentines, and similar items; 80 prints; and 23 miscellaneous items.
Scope and Contents:
The Krainik Ballooning Collection contains 112 stereoscopic photographs; 107 photographs; 84 postcards, trade cards, valentines, and similar items; 80 prints; and 23 miscellaneous items all pertaining to 19th and 20th century ballooning. Highlights of the stereoscopic photographs include: views of T.S.C. Lowe's balloons during the Civil War; views of the Nadar and Godard balloons; balloons during the Boer War, Russo-Japanese War, and WWI; and views of the airships Ganymede, Great Western, Phantom Balloons, Buffalo, Madame Carlotta, and The Aerial. The photographic portion of the collection features Matthew Brady's views of Lowe's balloons during the Civil War; views of the balloon Madam Carlotta before and during flights; smoke and gas balloon inflation and flights; and portraits of T.S.C. Lowe and other pioneers of ballooning. The collection also contains lithographic cards printed in Germany, whimsical advertising trade cards incorporating popular ballooning motifs and events, and 19th century woodcut illustrations from various periodicals concerning all aspects of ballooning. Other items include a small broadside for the Grand Balloon Ascension of CARLOTTA and a contract for smoke balloon ascensions. A few non-archival items, such as medals for Lowe's balloon, City of New York, and Giffard's giant captive balloon, 1878, were accessioned with this collection and subsequently transferred to curatorial collections. Note: The digital images in this finding aid were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping and orientation in addition to color variations resulting from damage to and deterioration of the original objects.
Arrangement note:
This collection has been arranged, first, in chronological order based on the Krainik inventory number that was assigned by the donor (K#), and then by size.
Biographical / Historical:
The Krainik Ballooning Collection was amassed by Clifford and Michele Krainik, experts in 19th and early 20th century historical photographs, negatives, and ephemera. This collection of 19th and 20th century ballooning memorabilia contains 112 stereoscopic photographs; 107 photographs; 84 postcards, trade cards, valentines, and similar items; 80 prints; and 23 miscellaneous items.
Provenance:
Clifford Krainik, Purchase, 1989, 1990-0009, NASM
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
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.
Topic:
Great Western (Airship)  Search this
Phantom Balloons (Airships)  Search this
Airships  Search this
World War, 1914-1918  Search this
Aeronautics  Search this
Madame Carlotta (Airship)  Search this
The Aerial (Airship)  Search this
Works of art  Search this
Russo-Japanese War, 1904-1905  Search this
South African War, 1899-1902  Search this
Buffalo (Airship)  Search this
Aeronautics -- 1903-1916  Search this
Aeronautics -- pre-1903  Search this
Ganymede (Airship)  Search this
Balloons  Search this
Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Communications  Search this
Balloons -- History  Search this
Balloons -- pre-1900  Search this
Spanish-American War, 1898  Search this
Genre/Form:
Stereoscopic photographs
Postcards
Photographs
Woodcuts
Citation:
Krainik Ballooning Collection, Acc. 1990-0009, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.1990.0009
See more items in:
Krainik Ballooning Collection
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2db559718-00f7-49aa-a75b-24d135444721
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-1990-0009