Charles Lewis Aviation Collection
Scope and Contents
Collection consists of glass lantern slides and postcards containing images of early aircraft up through World War I.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1910-1918
Creator
- Lewis, Larry D. , -1983 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions on accessing most material in this collection. Reference prints for 4 broken lantern slides are available in SC-129; for those items, users must use these reference prints instead of the originals.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
Extent
1 linear feet
Language of Materials
English
French
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into 7 subgroups, each with several series and subseries:
- Subgroup I: Airplanes
- Subseries I-1: Evolution of the Airplane
- Subseries I-2: Pre-1914 Airplanes
- Subseries I-2-A: Drawings
- Subseries I-2-B: Planes and Pilots
- Series I-3: World War I
- Subseries I-3-A: Aerial Combat (Drawings)
- Subseries I-3-B: Silhouettes
- Subseries I-3-C: Planes and Pilots
- Subgroup II: Lighter-Than-Air
- Series II-1: Parachutes, Kites, and Gliders
- Series II-2: Balloons
- Series II-3: Airships
- Subseries II-3-A: British and French
- Subseries II-3-B: Zeppelins
- Subgroup III: Engines, Diagrams, Etc.
- Series III-1: Aircraft Engines and Motors
- Series III-2: Structural Diagrams and Drawings
- Series III-3: Aerial Photography
- Series III-4: Miscellaneous
- Subgroup IV: Personnel – World War I
- Series IV-1: Air Crews
- Series IV-2: Aviation Recruits and Training
- Subgroup V: Color slides
- Series V-1: World War I Scenes
- Series V-2: Early Flight Fantasy and Fact
- Subgroup VI: Glass Negatives
- Subgroup VII: French Aviation Postcards
- Series VII-1: Color Lithographs
- Series VII-2: Wright Airplanes
- Series VII-3: Early Planes
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
A light box will be helpful when viewing the slides.
Custodial History
The postcards and lantern slides was the collection of Larry D. Lewis, president of the Charles C. Lewis Steel Comapny in Springfield, Massachuesetts, from 1971-1983. After his death, the collection was passed down to his son, Charles C. Lewis III.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was purchased by Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University Libraries, from Christie’s Auctions (New York), in 1983.
Existence and Location of Copies
A portion of this collection (Series VII-1: French Aviation Postcards) is available in CORE Scholar Digital Repository at https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/special_ms204_postcards/.
Reference prints are available in SC-129 for 4 broken lantern slides in this collection; users must use these reference prints for the broken items.
- Title
- Guide to the Charles Lewis Aviation Collection (MS-204)
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Lisa Rickey
- Date
- 2021 June 7
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2020 Apr: The finding aid was revised according to DACS standards by Lisa Rickey, April 2020.
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Repository
Wright State University Libraries
Special Collections and Archives
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy
Dayton OH 45435-0001 USA
937-775-2092
library-archives@wright.edu
