Herbert J. Nash appears to have been an amateur photographer, aviation enthusiast, and airplane photograph collector and based in the New York City area. This collection consists of just over a thousand images collected from a variety of sources and reflects Nash's specific interests: Aero Spacelines Guppies, single-engine Bell fighters and racing conversions, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress Family (Model 464), the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter Family (Model 367), the Boeing Model 377 Stratocruiser Family, and aircraft produced by the Naval Aircraft Factory. Photographs are predominantly small-format black and white prints taken in the United States between 1949 and 1969.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists primarily of 2.75 x 4.5 inch black and white print photographs, but also includes some color photographs, a few color postcards, and a few three-view drawings. Approximately 95 percent of the images in this collection are less than 4 x 5 inches in size. Most photographs were taken in the United States, with a few likely taken in England (UK). Some photographs appear to have been taken in storage or salvage yards. Topics depicted reflect Nash's specific interests: Aero Spacelines (Aero Spacelines Mini Guppy, Aero Spacelines Pregnant Guppy, and Aero Spacelines Super Guppy); single-engine Bell fighters and racing conversions (Bell P-39 Airacobra Family, Bell P-59 Airacomet Family, Bell P-63 Kingcobra Family, Bell FM-1 Airacuda Family); the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress Family (Model 464); the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter Family (Model 367); the Boeing Model 377 Stratocruiser Family; and various Naval Aircraft Factory models including the Naval Aircraft Factory N3N Family (XN3N-1, N3N-1, XN3N-2, XN3N-3, N3N-3), Naval Aircraft Factory PBN-1 Nomad, Naval Aircraft Factory SBN-1 (Naval Aircraft Factory version of the Brewster XSBA-1), Naval Aircraft Factory SON-1 Seagull (Naval Aircraft Factory version of the Curtiss SOC-3), Naval Aircraft Factory TS-1, Naval Aircraft Factory XP4N-1 (XP2N-1), Naval Aircraft Factory XP4N-2 (P2N-1), Naval Aircraft Factory XT2N-1, and Naval Aircraft Factory XTN-1. The Boeing Model 377 Stratocruiser section includes airliners in service with several airlines, including Pan American Airways (PAA), British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), Transocean (TAL), Northwest / Northwest Orient Airlines, United Air Lines, and Rutas Aéreas Nacionales, S.A. (RANSA).
Arrangement:
The photographs are arranged in six subject groups: Aero Spacelines, Bell, Boeing B-52, Boeing C-97, Boeing 377, and Naval Aircraft Factory. Similar aircraft tend to be clumped together within a group, but that is not always the case. In 1984, all items in this collection were reproduced on the first side (Side A) of National Air and Space Museum Archival Videodisc 2, a LaserDisc CAV format 12-inch (30 cm) optical disc published by the Smithsonian Institution. Print numbers applied during videodisc production are used as item-level image numbers (print numbers NASM 00129025 to NASM 00130094, videodisc frame capture numbers VD-2A29025 to VD-2A30094) and the images are stored in videodisc number order.
Biographical / Historical:
Herbert J. Nash appears to have been an amateur photographer, aviation enthusiast, and airplane photograph collector and based in the New York City area. This collection consists of just over a thousand images collected from a variety of sources; most are from private sources (generally other aviation enthusiasts such as himself) but also from aerospace manufacturers, the United States Air Force (USAF), airlines, and the mail-order aviation photography provider Aeroplane Photo Supply. Many of the photographs—particularly those in the Boeing Model 377 Stratocruiser section—were likely taken by Nash himself.
Provenance:
Herbert J. Nash and Peggy Nash Tondu, Gift, 1982, NASM.XXXX.0616
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
