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Collection: Wright Brothers Collection: 1897-1928
Among the materials the Wright Brothers estate gave the Library of Congress in 1948 were 300 glass plate negatives and two nitrate negatives, most taken by the Wright brothers themselves between 1897 and 1928. About 200 views from 1900 to 1911 document their successes and failures with their new flying machines. The collection provides an excellent pictorial record of the Wright brothers laboratory, engines, models, experimental planes, runways, flights, and even their accidents. The collection also contains individual portraits and group pictures of the Wright brothers and their family and friends, as well as photos of their homes, other buildings, towns, and landscapes.
135 photos
Wilbur Wright in prone position on glider just after landing, its skid marks visible behind it and, in the foreground, skid marks from a previous landing; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
1901 glider being flown as a kite, Wilbur at left side, Orville at right; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Wright brothers rebuilding their glider in a wooden shed erected in July to serve as a workshop and to house the glider in bad weather, August, 1901; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Sand crab; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Side view of glider flying as a kite near the ground, Wilbur at left and Orville at right, glider turned forward to right and tipped downward
Visitors and fellow campers in the Wrights' work shed at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Left to right: Octave Chanute, Orville Wright, and Edward C. Huffaker seated at left and Wilbur Wright standing
Wilbur with visitors and fellow campers in front of the Wrights' work shed at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Left to right: Edward C. Huffaker and Octave Chanute seated, Wilbur Wright standing, and George Spratt sitting on ground
Katharine Wright, wearing a leather jacket, cap, and goggles, aboard the Wright Model HS airplane with Orville, 1915
Kitchen of the camp building at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, with neatly arranged wall shelves holding dishes, canned foods, and other provisions
Wilbur in glider turning rapidly to the left, Dan Tate running alongside; Big Kill Devil Hill
Rear view of Wilbur making a right turn in glide from No. 2 Hill, right wing tipped close to the ground
1903 machine and large camp building where it was housed, and smaller building used as a workshop and living quarters at Kill Devil Hills
1903 machine and large camp building where it was housed, and smaller building used as a workshop and living quarters at Kill Devil Hills
1903 machine on the launching track at Big Kill Devil Hill, prior to the December 14th trial. Four men from the Kill Devil Hills Lifesaving Station helped move it from the shed to the hill, accompanied by two small boys and a dog
Close-up view of damaged 1903 machine, rudder frame broken in landing, on ground at end of last flight
1903 machine, front view
Flight 85: Orville in flight over treetops, covering a distance of approximately 1,760 feet in 40 1/5 seconds; Huffman Prairie, Dayton, Ohio
Close-up view of machine on launching track at Huffman Prairie, Dayton, Ohio
Wilbur and Orville Wright with their second powered machine; Huffman Prairie, Dayton, Ohio
The Wright home, 7 Hawthorn Street, Dayton, Ohio
Side view of Dan Tate, left, and Wilbur, right, flying the 1902 glider as a kite
Flight 41: Orville flying to the left at a height of about 60 feet; Huffman Prairie, Dayton, Ohio
Flight 30: machine close to the ground, Wilbur piloting, covering a distance of 784 feet in 22 3/4 seconds; Huffman Prairie, Dayton, Ohio