Embedded Files
The print below, presented to Reed Brothers, shows the maiden launch of the U.S.S. Akron leaving the Goodyear Zeppelin air dock at Akron, Ohio, in a frame made of sheet metal and rivets used in dirigible construction.
Built in 1929, the massive Goodyear air dock in Akron, Ohio, was created as a space where blimps, airships, and dirigibles could be constructed. The size of the dock created problems, such as indoor rain, and required putting the whole building on rollers so that it could expand and contract with the seasons.
The USS Akron, first of a class of two 6,500,000-cubic-foot rigid airships, was built at Akron, Ohio. Commissioned in late October 1931, she spent virtually all of her short career on technical and operational development tasks, exploring the potential of the rigid airship as an Naval weapons system. During the remainder of 1931 and the early part of 1932, the Akron made flights around the eastern United States and over the western Atlantic, including one trial of her capabilities as a scouting unit of the fleet. While beginning a trip to the New England area, Akron encountered a violent storm over the New Jersey coast and, shortly after midnight on 4 April 1933, crashed tail-first into the sea. Only three of the seventy-six men on board survived this tragic accident. During the search for other possible survivors, the Navy non-rigid airship J-3 also crashed, killing two more men.
Margaret Bourke White's signature
The engraved plaque at the bottom center of the frame reads, “Winner – Reed Brothers, Third Annual Goodyear Dealers Zeppelin Race. July – August 1931.” This frame is made of duralumin used in the girder construction of the United States Airship “AKRON” built by the Goodyear Zeppelin Corporation”. The duralumin was taken from the Akron during the process of construction.
The print is signed in the lower right-hand corner by the famed 20th century photographer, Margaret Bourke-White. During the early years of the Depression, Goodyear was one of Bourke-White’s most important clients. She created the image above of the airship Akron when it was removed from its hangar for the first time.
Margaret Bourke-White (1904-1971) is best known as the first foreign correspondent to be permitted to take photographs of Soviet industry, the first female war correspondent, and the first female correspondent permitted to work in war zones.
40 Year Anniversary With Goodyear
Lewis Reed was recognized by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. for reaching his 40th year as a Goodyear dealer. Reed Brothers Dodge began selling Goodyear tires in the 1920s. At right is a letter from Russell DeYoung thanking Lewis Reed for his 40 years “in business together”.
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