Dublin Core
Title
The Destruction of a German Airship Near London, September 1916
Subject
War Photography
Description
Six photographs made from gelatin silver prints from British photographer H. Scott Orr that depict the gradual destruction of a German airship near London, over Hertfordshire. The seventh item is a letter, dated October 3, 1916, written to the photographer from Lt. William Leefe Robinson VC, the British pilot who destroyed the airship, commending him on the quality of the photographs and inquiring about additional sets to hand out to friends. The depicted events took place during the night of September 2, 1916 as it moved into the early morning of September 3, 1916. The airship depicted is the Schütte-Lanz SL-11, captained by Hauptmann Wilhelm Schramm. All 16 men on board died. The SL-11 was the first airship to be shot down over England, making Lt. Robinson a national hero.
The airship's size and shape changes throughout the photos as it moves in relation to the photographer and his camera. One can estimate a series of just a few minutes between each photo, lending some perspective to the airship's speed. Searchlights sweep the cloudy sky in order to lock on to the airship, but many seem to be off target. After Lt. Robinson's incendiary ammunition sparked some of the gas keeping the dirigible afloat, the whole airship plummeted 12,000 feet to the ground, as depicted in the final three photos. It burns in a viciously bright red as it falls.
The photographs are pulled from McFarlin Library Special Collections's Flickr Page and have undergone digital editing; the original prints are much dimmer, and bear on the backsides the words "FIRST POSITION" through "SIXTH POSITION" for the six photographs in order.
The airship's size and shape changes throughout the photos as it moves in relation to the photographer and his camera. One can estimate a series of just a few minutes between each photo, lending some perspective to the airship's speed. Searchlights sweep the cloudy sky in order to lock on to the airship, but many seem to be off target. After Lt. Robinson's incendiary ammunition sparked some of the gas keeping the dirigible afloat, the whole airship plummeted 12,000 feet to the ground, as depicted in the final three photos. It burns in a viciously bright red as it falls.
The photographs are pulled from McFarlin Library Special Collections's Flickr Page and have undergone digital editing; the original prints are much dimmer, and bear on the backsides the words "FIRST POSITION" through "SIXTH POSITION" for the six photographs in order.
Creator
H. Scott Orr
Source
McFarlin Library, Department of Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tulsa. 2933 E. 6th St. Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104-3123
Date
September 2-3, 1916
Format
Photographic print; 9 x 14 cm.
Letter; 20.5 x 26 cm
Letter; 20.5 x 26 cm
Language
English
Identifier
D604 .O77 1916 Oversize
Coverage
Great Britain
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Photographic print (1-6)
Letter (7)
Letter (7)
Physical Dimensions
9 x 14 cm. (1-6)
20.5 x 26 cm. (7)
20.5 x 26 cm. (7)