Gordon E. Glattenberg Aviation Photograph Collection

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: 2025-04-28-A

Content Description

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The Gordon E. Glattenberg Aviation Photograph Collection is a collection of 2,525 35mm photographic slides and more than 2,500 digital images primarily of commercial aircraft taken by Glattenberg from roughly 1958-2002.

The bulk of the collection consists of images depicting commercial airliners. Most of these images show aicraft at airports, either at gates, on tarmacs, taking off or landing, but mixed among these are some images of mechanics working on or refueling planes, passengers boarding, cabin interiors, or scenes with airport buildings visible in background. Among the slides, the most well represented aircraft models are the early Boeing 700 series (126 shots of the 707; 240 shots of the 727; 160 shots of the 737; and 199 shots of the 747) as well as Douglas aircraft (86 images of the DC-3, DC-4, DC-6, and DC-7 combined; 172 images of the DC-8; 228 images of the DC-9; and 168 images of the DC-10). The photographs document a variety of airlines, including a mix of domestic and international ones and both large and small airlines. Some images show snow on the ground, particularly scenes shot in Chicago, Illinois and Denver, Colorado, as well as other weather conditions. Of note is series of images of Douglas DC-9s and DC-10s under construction in Long Beach.

There is a relatively small number of military aircraft represented in the slides, incluing a few slides of VC-9C, serial number 73-1682, used in the last quarter of the 20th century as Air Force Two and occasionally Air Force One. Sixty-six slides depict helicopters. 112 slides were taken at airshows and air bases, including in Reno, Nevada and at Edwards Air Force Base, and in Mojave and Carson, California with shots of the Goodyear Blimp. Fifty-seven slides focus on various airports and terminal buildings.

Slides are all labeled by the creator with aircraft model, city or location of scene, and the date the image was taken. The majority of images were taken by Glattenberg using Kodachrome film, but a small number, particularly Extachrome, Fuji Color and Ansco ones, were taken by other photographers.

Digital files have not yet been processed.

Dates

Creation: circa 1958-2002

Conditions Governing Access

This slides in the collection are open for research and are accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. The USB flash drive and digital photographs are not accessible pending digital preservation procedures. For more information contact us.

Conditions Governing Use

The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

Partial Extent

1 Cubic Feet (2 5-inch letter size document boxes, 1 2-in letter size document box)

Partial Extent

33.5 Gigabytes (1 USB flash drive)

Language

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The collection was partially organized with groupings by aircraft model, so that organizational system was maintained, refined, and imposed on the entire collection. As slides were organized they were removed from metal boxes and sleeved and foldered. Folders were labeled and filed following the National Air and Space Museum's Directory of Aircraft conventions. Aircraft depicted in relatively few photos were grouped together in folders of assorted commercial aircraft or assorted military aircraft at the end of the collection. Helicopters were also grouped together in one folder. Finally, photos not labeled with aicraft manufacturer or model but labeled only by location were grouped together.

Processing Information

Slides were originally housed in metal boxes. They were removed from the boxes and sleeved and foldered for preservation purposes as well as to provide easier access.

Digital images have not yet been processed and are pending digital preservation measures.