Language of Material: English

Contributing Institution: University of California, Santa Cruz

Title: Albert W. Stevens Aerial photographs

creator: Stevens, A. W. (Albert William), 1886-1949

Identifier/Call Number: MS.434

Physical Description: 1.25 Linear Feet 2 boxes

Date (inclusive): 1920-1946

Collection is open for research.

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Albert W. Stevens aerial photographs. MS 434. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Birth: Mar. 13, 1886 Belfast, Waldo County, Maine, USA Death: Mar. 26, 1949 San Carlos, San Mateo County, California, USA

Acclaimed aerial photographer, stratosphere balloonist, MacKay Trophy winner (twice) and winner of the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster. Albert was born the third child of Nathan Whitten and Alice Anderson. Alice died 5 months after Albert was born and he was adopted by Andrew and Nancy Stevens. Albert grew up in Belfast, Maine, and then attended the University of Maine eventually graduating in 1909 with a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering. During his college days he became an experienced photographer. For the next 8 years he worked as an engineer in the gold fields of Idaho, Alaska, California and Montana. He enlisted in the U. S. Air Service in January 1918 at the age of 31. He was commissioned a 1st Lt. and after attending the aerial photography school at Cornell University, he served with distinction during WWI as the commanding officer of the 6th Photo Section. Stevens became arguably the best aerial photographer of the First World War having perfected the art of oblique photography. He won the Purple Heart during the war. For the next several years, he was one of the leading aerial photographers for the U. S. Army Air Corps. He also took aerial photographs for the National Geographic Society. During 1934 and 1935, he was the driving force behind the Explorer and Explorer II Stratosphere Balloon Flights sponsored by the National Geographic Society with cooperation from the U. S. Army Air Corps. On November 11, 1935, he and Capt. Orvil A. Anderson set a new altitude record of 72,395 ft. inside the Explorer II Gondola. This record stood for 20 years. Stevens' last great achievement came on June 8, 1937 when he took the "perfect" photo of the total eclipse of the sun from 25,000 ft. over Chile while working for the Hayden Planetarium. He was medically discharged from the Army in April 1942 and died at his home in San Carlos, CA. His only marriage was to Ruth Fischer on August 8, 1938. They had no children.

Biography by Charles Gannon.

This collection contains nineteen matted silver gelatin aerial photographs of the San Francisco Bay Area and other locations, and twenty two black and white glass mounted slides of Mount Rainier and other locations, taken by Captain Stevens.