Pre-WWII Aircraft Photos

   Shown below are photos of pre-WWII aircraft, mostly American. I am offering digital enlargements or scans of these historic photos for sale. Read on to learn more.
    Please read the caption to see what each photo is of. If you want to see a larger version of the photo please click on the image.
    All of these photos are from original negatives. Most of the negatives are old, fragile, toxic-to-handle and made of dangerously flammable nitrate (cellulose). The organic nature of the compounds used to make nitrate film do not lend themselves to permanency. Some of the negatives have irreversible damage to the emulsion which is evident in the final print. Most damage appears as spots where fungus has attacked. On others the silver halide in the emulsion is breaking down and wavy light areas appear around the edges. Like most old nitrate negatives these do not scan well if at all. To offer digital enlargements I made photographic prints in the darkroom. The prints, like all the prints I make are each unique and custom made in that slight variations in tonality from vagaries in the exposure occur from print to print. Old negatives are hard to print and require a lot of dodging and burning, a subjective craft at best. I then scan these original, first generation prints to get a digital file to make scans or enlargements.
    All photos © Sea Bird Publishing, Inc. 2001 All rights reserved.
    If you are maintaining a .org website dedicated to aviation history and want a free 72dpi image of any of these photos please use the links to access the larger versions and use them. Please give credit for the photo(s) to Sea Bird Publishing, Inc. and include a link to this page.
    The Sea Bird Publishing, Inc. logo DOES NOT appear on the finished print or scan. I added it to the scans only.
    New, 8"x10" B&W digital enlargements are $15.00.
    Scans are $12.50 each irregardless of size. I can attach them to email (if there aren't many), FTP them to a site of your choice or burn a CD and mail it ($10.00).
Enlargements or scans are sold with one time re-print rights only.
    In the USA priority mailing of carefully packed photos, with tracking, is $5.50 for up to a pound of prints. That's about twelve 8"x10" photos. Your photos can also be shipped first class if you prefer. Request first class for mailing quote.
    Use the web page name and number of the scan below to order.
    Sea Bird Publishing, Inc. accepts Master Card, Visa, American Express or Discover and from anywhere in the USA you can call your order in on our toll free line 877-727-0801 between 8am and 6pm Eastern Standard Time, seven Days a Week. You can also send me an email at seabird@grafixnpix.com with the print numbers you want and mail me a money order or cashier's check for payment.
    Or you can also click here to go to Sea Bird's secure web order page and place your order there. Paypal and bidpay are both welcome also.
    Thanks for stopping by and checking out the photos. Be sure and check out the other pages of photos in this web site (links are at the bottom of the page).
    I want to include links to some great, informative web sites you can go to learn more about the aircraft shown below.
Historic Floyd Bennett Field
More info on the Douglas O-2H
Joe Baugher's Home Page (Great lot of Aircraft serial number links and more)
USAAC/USAAF/USAF Fighter and Pursuit Aircraft
Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Colorado

Photo 1. From an original glass plate negative. Aerial of an early aerodrome, ca. 1923.	Photo 2. From an original nitrate negative. A Curtiss seaplane warms up its engine at Seneca or Cayuga Lake, Hammond's Port, New York, ca. 1920.	Photo 3. From an original nitrate negative. Photo of a Dornier Wal flying boat on a waterway in New York state, ca. 1926.
Detail of Dornier Wal flying boat in Photo 3.	Photo 4. From an original nitrate negative. Unusual experimental Navy push-type seaplane, ca. 1929.	Photo 5. From an original nitrate negative. New York Police Department floatplane, ca. 1930.
Photo 6. From an original nitrate negative. Northwest Airlines airliner, Lockheed 10A Electra, ca. 1934.	Photo 7. From an original nitrate negative. 10/28/1936 - Captain James A. (Jimmy) Mollison and his Bellanca Flash, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, appear for the news cameras before departing from Floyd Bennet Field, New York for Croyden Airport at London, England. On this flight he not only made record time from Newfoundland, but became the first pilot to fly non-stop to London in 13:17 hours.	Photo 8. From an original nitrate negative. "A huge Eastern Airlines transport smashes into a high tension wire on the outskirts of the field and falls in flames bringing death to five persons. Daytona Beach, Florida August 12, 1937," (shot 1)
Photo 9. From an original nitrate negative. "A huge Eastern Airlines transport smashes into a high tension wire on the outskirts of the field and falls in flames bringing death to five persons. Daytona Beach, Florida August 12, 1937," (shot 2)	Photo 10. From an original nitrate negative. Some well-dressed travelers prepare to board a trimotor aircraft at a New York airfield.	Photo 11. From an original nitrate negative. Ford tri-motor at Lowry Field near Denver, Colorado ca.1927. On the side of the aircraft is says "Wamblee Chamno Rapid Air Lines Inc., Safe and Sane Flying."
Photo 12. From an original nitrate negative. Ford tri-motor taking off from Lowry Field, Denver ca. 1927. A line of Army biplanes and one of the hangers can be seen in the background.	Photo 13. From an original nitrate negative. A view of several Army Air squadrons lined up at Lowry Field, Denver, ca. 1927. Seen are Douglas O-2H biplanes in the foreground further down the line up are "Standards (?)" and DeHavillands.	Photo 14. From an original nitrate negative. Closer view of a Douglas O-2H at Lowry Field ca. 1927.
Photo 15. From an original nitrate negative. Close view of a Douglas O-2H at Lowry Field ca. 1927.	Photo 16. From an original nitrate negative. An Army Air Curtiss P-1B Hawk fighter at Lowry Field ca. 1927. If anyone knows more about this aircraft please email me Jim Culberson by clicking here.	Detail of photo 16 showing the fuselage art in better detail.
Photo 17. From an original nitrate negative. View of an Army Air Curtiss fighter at Lowry Field ca. 1927. Please email me, Jim Culberson by clicking here, if you know more about this aircraft.	Photo 18. From an original nitrate negative. View of an Army Air DeHavilland at Lowry Field ca. 1927.	Photo 19. From an original nitrate negative. A Travelair at Lowry Field ca. 1927.
Photo 20. From an original nitrate negative. Another Travelair at Lowry Field ca. 1927.	Photo 21. From an original nitrate negative. A Travelair owned by the "Mile High Flying Club" at Lowry Field ca. 1927.	Photo 22. From an original nitrate negative. Another type of Travelair at Lowry Field ca. 1927.
Photo 23. From an original nitrate negative. A Cessna at Lowry Field ca. 1927.	Photo 24. From an original nitrate negative. A Ryan Aircraft at Lowry Field ca. 1927.	Photo 25. From an original nitrate negative. An aircraft taking off to participate in an air race at Lowry Field ca. 1927.
Photo 26. From an original nitrate negative. Air Race, Lowry Field ca. 1927.	Photo 27. From an original nitrate negative. Air Race, Lowry Field ca. 1927.	Photo 28. From an original nitrate negative. Air Race, Lowry Field ca. 1927.
Photo 29. From an original nitrate negative. Formation of biplanes circle while one takes off. Ney York state ca. 1920.	Photo 30. From an original nitrate negative. Ferry passengers watching a floatplane coming in for a landing. New York State ca. 1930.	Photo 31. From an original nitrate negative. Wreck of a large British biplane. Shot 1.
Photo 32. From an original nitrate negative. Wreck of a large British biplane. Shot 2.	Photo 33. From an original nitrate negative. USS Akron, ZRS-4, at Opa-locka, Florida on her way to Cuba in early January, 1933.	Photo 34. From an original nitrate negative. USS Akron, ZRS-4, at Opa-locka, Florida on her way to Cuba in early January, 1933
Photo 35. From an original nitrate negative. USS Akron, ZRS-4, at Opa-locka, Florida on her way to Cuba in early January, 1933