November 12, 2002

11:02 AM

The Smithsonian offers an online sampling of its Collection of Aeronautic Sheet Music. From the introduction: "...widespread fascination with flight has inspired an enormous output of historical drawings, paintings, advertisements and illustrations for publications. Some of the most colorful illustrations are those which adorn sheet music. In the Bella Landauer collection, you can find illustrations that range from the bizarre to the commonplace, from the humorous to the mundane. But most are colorful and interesting."
The collection is divided into categories such as "Ballooning", "Biplanes", and "Flying Machines". I love this one from 1914, called "A Hundred Years From Now".
posted by taz (9 comments total)

I want to live there.
posted by wanderingmind at 11:23 AM on November 12, 2002

You already do if you live in a major city (except maybe DC), its just they didn't quite get the design of the flying ships and skyscrapers quite right.
posted by Pollomacho at 11:39 AM on November 12, 2002

SIL has been doing some lovely things lately. Martin Kalfatovic, their main web-exhibition designer, spoke to a SI-wide digitization seminar last Friday about their ongoing projects. Martin's favorite is this interactive database of furniture; mine is their recent version of The House Painter, a Victorian recipe book of faux finishes, complete with hand-painted sample
posted by SealWyf at 11:54 AM on November 12, 2002

Or the density, Pollomacho. That's what I'd like to see - 200-story skyscrapers with pads and ports and garages to support a sky thick with a swarm of airships. Entire cities in the air. There's a lot of space up there and out there - imagine how much sunlight you could get above the clouds to power generators, and imagine running ocean water through solar-powered stills to get your drinking/irrigation water... I know it's completely unfeasible, unrealistic, and probably impossible, but hey, I can have my fantasies, can't I?
posted by wanderingmind at 12:03 PM on November 12, 2002

I remember this one:

Come, Josephine, in my Flying Machine going "Up she Goes!"
"Up she Goes!"
Balance yourself like a bird on a beam in the air she goes!
There she goes!
Up, up, a little bit higher.
Oh, my! The moon is on fire.
Come Josephine in my flying machine going up,
Along, good-bye!

I actually sang it once.
That's not surprising, since I was with a group of barbershop singers in Dayton.
posted by CrunchyFrog at 12:24 PM on November 12, 2002

That's a really cool find, taz - thanks! CrunchyFrog stole the link that I was going to post but I like this one too.

I love the fact that public and private exhibits & archives of art and historical info are available via the web - so much cool stuff to browse, particularly for special or esoteric interests. And as SealWyf demonstrates, the exhibits are getting more creative and searchable.
posted by madamjujujive at 12:37 PM on November 12, 2002

Beautiful link!
posted by Pinwheel at 1:15 PM on November 12, 2002

This post is the cat's pajamas and the bee's knees. Thanks
posted by Stan Chin at 4:26 PM on November 12, 2002

"Aeroplane. Aeroplane.
My baby loves my areoplane.
Gonna fly her all around the to-o-o-o-wn. Thankyou"
posted by Dirjy at 12:08 PM on November 13, 2002