The collection is the result of Major Hammer's passion for amassing material related to aeronautics and technology, and it is arranged into eleven series: articles, clippings, correspondence, drawings and blueprints, leaflets, legislation, minutes, miscellaneous, photographs, programs and publications. Housed in 23 folders, the correspondence is the most comprehensive series, reflecting the original order which grouped the letters into series by topic. Much of the correspondence concerns the planning of the Hudson-Fulton Celebration of 1909, and the involvement of Wilbur Wright and Glenn Curtiss. There is also a scrapbook of black and white photographs providing front and side views of specified airplanes. Each page has 3 photos showing different views of the same plane accompanied by a label with additional information. (See written copy for details. Also, please see information written on 8x11 notebook paper.)
Scope and Contents:
The William J. Hammer Collection reflects Hammer's great interest in aeronautics --a passion he cultivated for several decades by accumulating a veritable storehouse of materials. Hammer's important contributions to the early development of aviation are also evident in this collection.
The collection of materials listed in the finding aid is arranged into two series. The first series includes correspondence, reports, handbooks, drawings, brochures, programs, leaflets, magazines, articles, newspaper clippings and miscellaneous materials. The second series is comprised of photographs of various sizes, scrapbooks, scrapbook pages and miscellaneous materials (the front pages of newspapers, certificates, posters, etc.).
Hammer's papers are arranged both chronologically and alphabetically. Correspondence, drawings, brochures, programs, leaflets, miscellaneous materials, scrapbook pages, articles and newspaper clippings are organized by the former method. Reports, handbooks, magazines and booklets are grouped alphabetically by either title of publication or author. Photographs are arranged either by subject or chronologically.
The reader should note that at some point, Hammer produced a series of large format photographs. These mounted photographs are duplicates. Due to the very fragile condition of these particular images, the photographs and are not available to researchers.
Additional photographic material regarding Hammer Collection photographs can be found in the NASM Archives Images database. An Archives staff member will assist you with research using this database.
Box 13 of the William J. Hammer Collection has not been scanned.
Note: The digital images in this finding aid were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping and orientation in addition to color variations resulting from damage to and deterioration of the original objects.
Arrangement:
The William J. Hammer Collection is arranged by content type.
Biographical/Historical note:
William J. Hammer was born in Cressona, Pennsylvania, on February 26, 1858, was an associate of Thomas Edison and an early aviation supporter and enthusiast. He began his career as an assistant to Edward Weston of the Weston Malleable Nickel Company. In 1879, he moved on to a new position as laboratory assistant to Thomas Edison at Menlo Park, New Jersey. His duties ranged from aiding in conducting experiments on such devices as the phonograph, telephone and ore separator to acting as Edison's key person in further developing the incandescent electric lamp. By 1880, he was made chief engineer of the Edison Lamp Works. A year later, Edison dispatched Hammer to London to be chief engineer of the English Electric Light Company. In this position, he helped construct the Holborn Viaduct Central Electric Light Station in London. This was the first central station ever built for incandescent electric lighting. In 1883, Hammer became chief engineer for the German Edison Company. This task included planning and supervising the construction of all Edison plants in Germany. He returned to the United States late in the following year and acted as chief inspector of central stations of the parent Edison Electric Light Company. In 1886-87, Hammer was general manager and chief engineer of the Boston Edison Electric Illuminating Company. In 1888, he worked as an independent engineer and supervised the completion of the then-largest isolated electric lighting plant, located at the Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine, Florida. During that year, Hammer also was chosen as consulting electrical engineer to the Cincinnati Centennial Exposition. Subsequently, Edison selected him as his personal representative to the Paris Exposition of 1889. This assignment rounded out Hammer's eleven years with Edison. During his time as one of Edison's most trusted and important employees, Hammer devised a number of innovations to the incandescent electric lamp. He designed and built the first electric sign, which spelled out the name "Edison". While in Germany, he invented the automatic motor-driven flashing electric lamp sign. This particular sign flashed the word "Edison" letter by letter and then all at once. At the International Electrical Exhibition, held in Philadelphia in 1884, Hammer also constructed the first flashing column of electric lights.
Upon his return to the U.S. in 1890, Hammer worked as an independent consulting electrical engineer by assisting in a variety of electrical projects, carrying out tests, giving lectures and providing expert testimony in patent disputes. He based this modest enterprise in an office in New York City and continued in this occupation until 1925. His career as an electrical engineering consultant was interrupted by World War I. In June 1918, he was commissioned a major in the U.S. Army. He was assigned to the Inventions Section of the War Plans Division of the General Staff in charge of Aeronautical and Electrical Inventions at the Army War College, Washington, D.C.. By December of that year, he was attached to the Operations Division General Staff at the War Department (Inventions Section). During the war and on into 1919, Hammer also worked for the U.S. Patent Office by identifying any aviation-related patents likely to convey too much information to potential enemies. In conjunction with his War Department duties, he acted as a member of the Advisory Board of Experts affiliated with the Alien Property Commission.
Busy as he was with his private consulting work, Hammer also immersed himself in other scientific activities. He took a particular interest in radium after visiting Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris in 1902. The two discoverers of radium gave him some samples of this substance. Soon after returning to the United States, Hammer experimented with radium. His research yielded numerous useful applications for this material such as radium-luminous powders and paints that were used to coat everything from watch and clock dials to aeronautical instruments, switches and toys. Hammer also advocated the use of radium for cancer and tumor treatment. Beyond his interest in this material, he invented selenium light-sensitive cells and recommended many practical uses for them. He also conducted a great deal of laboratory work on X-rays, ultraviolet and cathode rays, phosphorescence and wireless communications. Accordingly, he lectured and published extensively on many of these fields of research and study.
Hand in hand with his overall interest in science and technology, Hammer had a particular passion for aeronautics. Beyond paying careful attention to the rapid progress made in this field at the turn of the twentieth century, he also played an active role as participant and supporter. He made his first balloon flight over France during the Paris Exposition of 1889. His last lighter-than-air journey took place in 1931 aboard the U.S. Navy dirigible Los Angeles. Moreover, he attended and officiated over many balloon, airship and airplane exhibitions and races. Hammer was a member of the Aero Club of America and a director of the Aeronautical Society. This latter group made the first ever purchase of an airplane in January 1909. He served as expert and secretary of the Aeronautics Committee on the Hudson-Fulton Celebration Commission of 1909 and wrote the contracts for Wilbur Wright and Glenn Curtiss to fly their airplanes for this event. This occasion in New York was important as it marked the first time a large gathering of people in the U.S. witnessed heavier-than-air powered flight. As a friend of the Wright brothers, Hammer testified as an expert witness on their behalf during various patent litigation suits. His contact with aviation pioneers went beyond the Wrights and Curtiss. He also knew and interacted with, among others, Samuel Langley, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Henri Farman and Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. Even his work with radium had applications for aviation. Hammer developed radium-based luminous compounds and used them on aircraft instruments so pilots could more easily view their cockpits' dials and gauges.
Hammer's last years were filled with serving as Historian General of the Military Order of the World War, as well as participating in many scientific, engineering and aeronautical committees and societies. During this time, he was the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Elliott Cresson Gold Medal, John Scott Medal from the Franklin Institute and the Cross of the Legion of Honor from France. Up until his death on March 24, 1934, he also labored in his efforts to organize a vast personal collection of rare and valuable scientific artifacts, photographs and other materials accumulated since his days with Edison. Following Hammer's death, this important collection was left in the care of his daughter Mabel (his wife of twelve years, Alice, having died in 1906). Some years later, International Business Machines (IBM) acquired it. In 1962, IBM donated the William J. Hammer Scientific Collection to the Smithsonian Institution. The bulk of the collection resides with the National Museum of American History's Archives Center. In the mid 1980s, the aeronautical portion of this collection was transferred to the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) Archives.
Provenance:
IBM (Mr. William J. Hammer Collection), gift, 1961, XXXX-0074, not NASM
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.
International Aviation Tournament, Belmont Park, New York, Aero Club of America
Collection Creator:
Hammer, William J. (William Joseph), 1858-1934 (electrical engineer) Search this
Container:
Box 3, Folder 12
Type:
Archival materials
Text
Date:
October 22-30, 1910
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
William J. Hammer Collection, Acc. NASM.XXXX.0074, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Resolution regarding success of the Wright brothers,
Aero Club of America
Collection Creator:
Hammer, William J. (William Joseph), 1858-1934 (electrical engineer) Search this
Container:
Box 3, Folder 14
Type:
Archival materials
Text
Date:
1906
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
William J. Hammer Collection, Acc. NASM.XXXX.0074, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Hammer, William J. A Flight over Paris. New York: Aero Club of America and Doubleday, Page & Company
Collection Creator:
Hammer, William J. (William Joseph), 1858-1934 (electrical engineer) Search this
Container:
Box 3, Folder 33
Type:
Archival materials
Books
Date:
undated
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
William J. Hammer Collection, Acc. NASM.XXXX.0074, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Mouillard, L. The Empire of the Air - An Ornithological Essay on the Flight of Birds, Paris
Collection Creator:
Hammer, William J. (William Joseph), 1858-1934 (electrical engineer) Search this
Container:
Box 3, Folder 35
Type:
Archival materials
Books
Date:
1881
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
William J. Hammer Collection, Acc. NASM.XXXX.0074, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Hammer, William J. (William Joseph), 1858-1934 (electrical engineer) Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Scope and Contents:
This section consists of a group of 127 borderless matte silver gelatin print photographic enlargements, each mounted on a sheet of heavy gray 24 x 36 inch cardboard. These enlargements, created from photographs taken by William J. Hammer or from Hammer's personal collection, were displayed as part of the aeronautical exhibits at the Automobile and Aero Clubs of America Joint Show held in January 13-21, 1906, in the third-floor gymnasium of the 69th Regiment Armory, New York City.
Most of the prints carry a "Hammer number" on very small typed white square of paper affixed to the emulsion at the top left corner of each photograph. Handwritten (cursive) annotations on the prints and mounts are believed to be in William J. Hammer's hand. Note that Hammer numbered prints 81-90 and 98-100 were not found in the collection at time of processing. Print numbers 91-97 are smaller-format prints located in Box 6, Folder 26; these are photographs believed to have been taken in 1892 of Sir Hiram S. Maxim's Flying-Machine House and experimental equipment at Baldwyns Park, Bexley, Kent, England. Print number 7 (a view from behind of A. Lawrence Rotch and Samuel P. Langley watching an airship in flight) was also not found in the collection at time of processing, but copies of the image show up in other NASM Archives collections (see NAM A-450-A).
Arrangement:
Digital photographs of the original prints, created by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Archives in April 2013, are attached to this online finding aid, and have been presented in Hammer number order, with the unnumbered prints appearing at the end of the sequence.
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
William J. Hammer Collection, Acc. NASM.XXXX.0074, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Wright Brothers, Medals, Aero Club of America Medal (1909) [Documents]
Collection Creator:
National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division. Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.
Emory Conrad Malick was an early American aviator. This collection consists of copies of records relating to Malick including copies of photographs, correspondence, and other documents.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of copies of records relating to Emory Conrad Malick including copies of photographs of Malick; aerial photographs taken by Malick; a copy of Malick's letterhead which includes a photo of Malick at the controls of an aircraft; biographical sketches written by family members; news clippings related to Malick; copies of correspondence between Malick and various family members and business associates; a listing of "Holders of Aviation Certificates of the Aero Club of America Issued under F.A.I [Fédération Aéronautique Internationale] Rules"; a receipt for dues paid to the Aero Club of Pennsylvania; and a copy of a member's ticket to an Aero Club of Pennsylvania event in September 1910.
Arrangement:
Collection is in original order.
Biographical / Historical:
Emory Conrad Malick was an early American aviator. Malick was born in 1881 and grew up in Pennsylvania. As a young man, Malick built and flew gliders. Malick attended the Curtiss Aviation School at North Island, San Diego, California where he earned Aero Club of America aviation certificate no. 105 on March 20, 1912 (issued under Fédération Aéronautique Internationale rules). In 1914, Malick obtained a Curtiss pusher type airplane and began barnstorming in Pennsylvania making him the first pilot to fly in Snyder County. Malick later moved to Philadelphia and flew for the Flying Dutchman Air Service and took aerial photographs on behalf of the Aero Service Corporation and Dallin Aerial Surveys. Malick died in 1958.
Provenance:
Mary Groce, Gift, 2010, NASM.2010.0034
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
This collection contains pilot's licenses issued in the early 20th century. It includes licenses from various nations such as Canada, France, Italy, and the United States.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a variety of different types of pilots' licenses issued by civilian, government, and military organizations dating from 1911 to 1948. Licenses certified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) form most of the licenses issued by private organizations. Four founding clubs of FAI - Aero Club D'Italia, the Aero Club of America, the Aéro-Club de France, and the Royal Aero Club - are featured. The United States Navy, US Army Air Corps, and one item from the Canadian Air Force represent the military licenses in the collection. Licenses issued by the United State Department of Commerce form a large portion of licenses issued by governments.
Other forms of personal identification were discovered with many of the pilots' licenses in this collection. Examples of these items include a driver's license, a firearms license, aviation membership cards, and business cards.
Included in this collection are licenses belonging to Raymond Emmanuel Bollack, Laura Bromwell, John Milton Bryant, Frank T. Coffyn, Curtis La Q. Day, Richard Duncan, Lester D. Gardner, G. S. Gillespie, Paul R. Gruhler, Beckwith Havens, Frederick A. Hoover, George M. Keightley, Benjamin Scovill Kelsey, Alfred S. Koch, Lawrence Leon, Grover Loening, Cord Meyer, Zenos Ramsey Miller, Thomas DeWitt Milling, Charles L. Morris, Thea Rasche, Roland Rohlfs, D. deR. M. Scarrit, Walter J. Shaffer, Thomas E. Springer, Norman Sweetser, Alexander Blair Thaw II, Ralph H. Upson, Clifford L. Webster and E. A. Yeager. A blank license attributed to the Service de la Navigation Aérienne is also included.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged alphabetically by surname of the licensee.
Biographical / Historical:
Prior to 1926, pilots in the United States were not required to have any documentation or certification to operate an aircraft. To demonstrate ability and credibility, private organizations as well as military agencies issued their own licenses. These early licenses were available for different aircrafts across various disciplines and served to allow individuals to participate in aeronautic events endorsed by civil organizations.
A prominent international organization, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), supplied licenses to aviators around the world. Founded in 1905, FAI formed through the collaboration of aviation clubs from eight countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.
Pilots' licenses became a requirement after the Air Commerce Act of 1926, which promoted the improvement and maintenance of safety standards in air commerce. With a variety of different examples of pilots' licenses, the collection provides insight into the types of documentation issued to military and civilian pilots during the first half of the twentieth century.
Provenance:
Gifts and transfers from various sources and unknown, NASM.XXXX.0650.
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
Lindbergh, Charles A. (Charles Augustus), 1902-1974 Search this
Extent:
0.35 Cubic feet (7 folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Ephemera
Date:
1907-1977
Summary:
This collection consists of approximately 0.35 cubic feet of banquet programs, menus, and similar items from aviation-themed events.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of approximately 0.35 cubic feet of banquet programs, menus, and similar items from aviation-themed events. Some are from events honoring individual pilots such as Charles Lindbergh, Richard Byrd, the Wright Brothers, and Amelia Earhart, and some are from events held by organizations including the Aero Club of America, the Early Birds of Aviation, the Manufacturers Aircraft Association, and the 31st Division Air Corps of the Alabama National Guard. Additional programs relate to specific events including the Hudson-Fulton Celebration, various air racing events and record setting flights, memorial dedications, and air route inaugurations.
Arrangement:
Items in this collection have been organized by topic with a miscellaneous folder at the end. Folders are arranged alphabetically by organization name or by last name when the topic is a particular person. Within each folder, items are arranged chronologically.
Biographical / Historical:
During the early flight period, World War I, and on into the 1920s and 1930s, numerous famous flights by pioneering pilots represented the cultural acceptance of the airplane from an entertaining novelty into an instrument of commerce, a weapon of war, and a vehicle for spectacle. In response, there emerged a new form of technological enthusiasm called "air-mindedness." To be airminded meant the zealous support of aviation to bring about the next great era in human civilization, which many people called the "Air Age." With such a great interest in aviation, many of the pilots during this era were treated as celebrities whose activities were followed with interest by the press as well as the public. Pilots making trailblazing flights were often fêted with parades, banquets,and other events in order to celebrate their achievements, and many aviation events were similarly celebrated. Also during this time period, numerous aviation-related societies and clubs were formed and their members would meet for dinners and other social occasions.
General:
In cases where identical duplicate items exist in the collection, only one representative version was scanned to appear in the slideshow. In cases where duplicate items had differences (such as signatures on the cover or an enclosure not present in the other versions), only the parts that differ were scanned.
Provenance:
Unknown, Material found in collection is likely from various donors, NASM.XXXX.0116.
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.
