Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
The papers of Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright, aviation pioneers and inventors, were given to the Library of Congress by executors of Orville Wright's estate in 1949. The Library received additional Wright material by gift, transfer, and purchase from various sources between 1949 and 2016.
Processing History
The papers of Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright were arranged and described in 1972 by Grover Batts and Thelma Queen. Additional material received between 1972 and 1997 was incorporated into the collection in 1997 by Karen Linn Femia, Patrick Kerwin, and Brian McGuire. The collection was reprocessed and additional material was added in 2001 and 2002 by Laura J. Kells with the assistance of Christopher J. Pohlhaus. Material received from 2005 to 2016 was processed as an addition in 2019 by Laney Stevenson.
Transfers
Some photographs have been transferred to the Library's Prints and Photographs Division where they are identified as part of these papers.
Microfilm
A microfilm edition of part of these papers is available on fifteen 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 Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright are available on the Library of Congress Web site at https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/collmss.ms000022.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container or reel number, Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.