Colin Hunter Collection of U.S.A. Aerial Photography School Photograph Albums
Scope and Contents of Collection
The collection contains two photograph albums and some loose ephemera relating primarily to the U.S.A. Aerial Photography School in Rochester, New York. Both of the albums have been unbound due to preservation concerns, however they are stored in the original order. The albums contain photographs taken by soldiers at the Aerial Photography School, and they include both aerial photographs and shots of the soldiers enjoying day trips and leisure time. While the origin of the albums is unknown, one group photo from the first album is captioned "Walter Hunter" on reverse, which indicates that the albums may have belonged to a relative of the donor who likely attended the school. Also included is a soldier's portrait of undetermined relation to the photograph albums.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1916-1918
Language of Materials
All materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. 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.
Historical Note
The U.S.A. Aerial Photography School was a joint venture between the United States Army Signal Corps and the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York. The creation of the school was part of a larger push by the military to expand the use of photography in wartime. In early 1918, a land photography school was founded at Columbia University, and this was shortly followed by the founding of the aerial school in Rochester. The U.S. Signal Corps operated the schools because army aviation fell under their purview until May of 1918, when the aviation wing of the Signal Corps split away and became the Army Air Service.
Further reading:
Raines, Rebecca Robbins. Getting the Message Through: A Branch History of the U. S. Army Signal Corps. Washington, D.C.: Center for Military History, 1996. Available online at: http://www.history.army.mil/books/30-17/Front.htm.
Biographical Note
No information is known. The actual creator of the album is unknown, though it may have been Walter Hunter, possibly a relative of Colin Hunter.
Extent
0.25 Cubic Feet (1 2-inch legal-size document box)
Abstract
The collection contains visual materials relating primarily to the U.S.A. Aerial Photography School in Rochester, New York during World War I.
Custodial History
It is unclear how Colin Hunter came into possession of the album. The actual creator of the album is unknown, though it may have been Walter Hunter, possibly a relative of Colin Hunter.
Acquisition Note
This collection was donated by Colin Hunter in memory of Brent Hunter.
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
Existence and Location of Copies
Materials from this collection have been digitized and are available at The Museum of Flight Digital Collections.
Separated Materials
The following items have been separated from the archival component of this collection and are kept in Objects storage:
- Royal Air Force (RAF) Officer's overcoat
- RAF Officer's hat emblem
- RAF Officer's side cap pin
- RAF Officer's coat button
Subject
- Title
- Guide to the Colin Hunter Collection of U.S.A. Aerial Photography School Photograph Albums
- Status
- Completed Level 4
- Author
- L. Zaborowski and A. Demeter
- Date
- 2017
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
- Sponsor
- Processing, cataloging and digitization of this collection was made possible by a Council on Libraries and Information Resources (CLIR) "Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives" grant.
- Edition statement
- 2nd Edition
Repository Details
Part of the The Museum of Flight Archives Repository
9404 East Marginal Way South
Seattle Washington 98108-4097
206-764-7874
curator@museumofflight.org