Administrative Information
Provenance
The papers of Octave Chanute, civil engineer and aviation pioneer, were deposited in the Library of Congress in 1932 and converted to a gift by Elizabeth and Octavia Chanute in 1950. The collection, originally in the custody of the Science Division, was transferred to the Manuscript Division in the 1950s. Small additions were made to the collection by gift and purchase between 1957 and 1997.
Transfers
Some photographs have been transferred to the Library's Prints and Photographs Division where they are identified as part of these papers.
Processing History
The papers of Octave Chanute were arranged and described in 1962. Materials received between 1957 and 1997 were processed as additions in 1981 and 1997.
Related Material
Additional correspondence between Chanute and the Wright brothers can be found in the Manuscript Division's collection of their papers. The Wright Brothers' papers also contain correspondence with George Spratt, who, by way of Chanute, helped the Wrights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Microfilm
A microfilm edition of the letterbook series is available on twenty-four reels. Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division concerning availability for purchase or interlibrary loan. To promote preservation of the originals, researchers are required to consult the microfilm edition as available.
Online Content
Selected items from the papers of Octave Chanute are available on the Library of Congress Web site at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/collmss.ms000022.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container or reel number, Octave Chanute Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.