Clark Special Collections

The Gimbel Collection contains over 20,000 items tracing the history of human flight from Babylonian cuneiform seals to the Wright brothers aviation developments and beyond. Included in this collection are 5,000 year old seals carved from semi-precious stones, rare coins and medals commemorating great aviators and their achievements, manuscript materials, and thousands of published volumes from the late 15th century to the present day. The collection also contains more than 2,000 prints, portraits, engravings, etchings, woodcuts, lithographs, and photographs creating a unique pictorial history of flight. Additionally there are posters, dime novels, sheet music, children's toys and games, collector's cards, postcards, and postage stamps including first day covers. For more information, consult the links below.

IMAGE NOTE:  Photograph from Clark Special Collections Branch of Colonel Gimbel, seated, during a visit to the U.S. Air Force Academy. The Academy's library director, Lt Col (later Brig Gen) George Fagan, is standing behind him.