The Goddard Rocket Researches: A Photographic Record

Authors

Esther C. Goddard

Document Type

Photo Album

Files

Date

circa 1950s-1970s

Type

image

Description

This page contains a pdf scan of 'The Goddard Rocket Researches: A Photographic Record' in its entirety. The individual photographs and their descriptions can be seen here.

'The Goddard Rocket Researches: A Photographic Record' is an annotated photo album covering Robert H. Goddard's work and experimentation with rocketry. It was assembled and curated by Esther Goddard sometime after her husband's passing in 1945.

The vast majority of these photographs were taken by Esther herself. Esther was an avid camerawoman and photographer, and during Robert's lifetime she meticulously documented his life's work in rocketry--from experiments and instruments to processes and workspaces. In his book Rocket Man: Robert H. Goddard and the Birth of the Space Age, David A. Clary states that Esther "became a pioneer in photographic documentation of technology, taking pictures of tests and flights--including deriving stills from movies--and illustrating Robert's notes with detailed photographs of everything manufactured in the shop and assembled into rockets". Esther also shot 16mm film footage when Robert bought her a movie camera in 1926. That footage can be seen here.

Following Robert's death in 1945, Esther dedicated the rest of her life to relentlessly crafting and promoting the legend and reputation of Robert’s life and work. This element of careful curation can be seen in this photo album, both in its construction and the classification system present in the bottom right of each photograph.

Photographs were scanned at 400dpi.

Format

pdf

Keywords

Robert Goddard, Esther Goddard, rocketry, rockets, liquid-fuel rockets

Recommended Citation

Goddard, Esther C., "The Goddard Rocket Researches: A Photographic Record" (2025). The Goddard Rocket Researches: A Photographic Record [Photo Album]. 1.
https://commons.clarku.edu/goddardphotoalbum/1

Rights

These images are the property of Clark University and are intended for non-commercial use. Images may be copied for research, teaching, personal, or any fair use as defined by U.S. copyright law. Images may not be altered in any way. Users of these images are asked to acknowledge Clark University. For questions or further information about usage rights, please contact archives@clarku.edu.