Bradley Field (later Bradley International Airport)
PhotographerPhotographed by
Leon H. R. Moquin
(1924 - 2010)
PhotographerPhotographed by
Edward J. Malley
(American, 1914 - 1983)
PhotographerPhotographed by
Hank Murphy
(American)
PhotographerPhotographed by
Joseph T. Rummel
(American, 1925 - 1993)
Date1946-1963
MediumPhotography; gelatin silver prints on paper
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 7 5/8 x 9 9/16in. (19.4 x 24.3cm) or smaller
Sheet (height x width): 8 x 10in. (20.3 x 25.4cm) or smaller
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineGift of Gloria Moquin
Object number2011.202.2
DescriptionMany aerial views document the changing appearance of Bradley Field in Windsor Locks, CT between the 1940s and the 1960s. Some photographs show the runways camouflaged to look like agricultural fields when seen from the air. One photograph shows emergency equipment, including fire engines and other trucks with their crews on the ground. One fire engine is shown fighting a blaze with the terminal building in the background. Aircraft have lettering that reads "GREAT SILVER FLEET" "United Air Lines" "TRANSOCEAN AIR LINES" "TRANS WORLD AIRLINES" "AMERICAN AIRLINES". Photographs show the evolution of the parking lots and approach roads surrounding the airport. Some photographs show a two-story parking deck opposite the terminal building. One photograph shows the interior of a control tower. In some photographs snow is on the ground. Other photographs include views of the terminal, hangar, baggage equipment, automobiles, cement mixers, and other construction equipment. One series of photographs depicts ramp and taxiway expansion in 1963.
NotesSubject Note: The airport at Windsor Locks began as an army air base during World War II. It was named Bradley Field in 1942 after Lieutenant Eugene M. Bradley, who was killed when his plane crashed there on August 21, 1941. Following the war, the army turned the base over to to the State of Connecticut, and regular commericial passenger service began in 1947. These photographs document the airport's final years as a military airbase and chronicle its development through the 1950s and early 1960s. In 1966, its name was changed to Bradley International Airport. (Finlay 5/28/2011).Status
Not on view
