OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION Title: Albert G. Ingalls Papers Collection Dates: C. 1920-1956 Extent and Forms of Material: 8.7 cubic feet (26 boxes) Repository: Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. archivescenter@si.edu 202-633-3270 www.americanhistory.si.edu/archives Collection Number: AC0175 Conditions Governing Access: This collection is stored offsite. It is available for research by special arrangement Administrative/Biographical History: Albert G. Ingalls (1888-1958) served in World War I; later as an editor of Scientific American, he conducted a regular column on amateur astronomy. Educated at Cornell University, Ingalls was a life-time astronomy and telescope-making enthusiast. In his editorial capacity he corresponded with hundreds of amateur and professional astronomers and other scientists in the U.S. and many other countries. Scope and Content: The Ingalls correspondence collection, while centered on problems of telescope construction, is by no means exclusively concerned with it. Over the years, in his editorial role and through many personal contacts, Ingalls developed continuing friendships which were maintained through voluminous correspondence. The letters often dealt with non-scientific subjects, sometimes quite personal in nature. They were often very informal in style and in the case of correspondents who were particularly close friends, were sometimes conducted on the basis of private nicknames, slang and "injokes. In addition to letters, the Ingalls collection includes numerous copies of publications, reprints, clippings, etc., often related to the subject matter of the correspondence. There are also drafts and final versions of Ingalls columns from the Scientific American and from other publications. The collection also includes rough sketches of telescope components as well as blueprints and many photographs of equipment and individuals. Prominent among Ingalls correspondents was Russell W. Porter, a versatile scientist and artist who participated in Arctic exploration in the early 1900's and later became a professional maker of telescope mirrors and the author of numerous articles on the field. Porter's greatest contribution was as a member of the team which designed and constructed the 200-inch telescope at Mt. Palomar, California. Ingalls, 17 years Porter's junior, helped to publicize Porter's writings. Utilizing Porter's material as well as
information from many other sources, Ingalls published in 1926 a book, Amateur Telescope Making, which went through 14 printings and 4 editions by 1959. System of Arrangement: Alphabetically by names of major correspondents and important subjects. Finding Aids: Register Acquisition Information: The Ingalls correspondence was donated to the National Museum of American History by Jeremy G. Ingalls and Joan V. Ingalls, children of Albert G. Ingalls, in July 1985. Subject-Topical: Telescope makers 20 th century Astronomy 20 th century Telescope 20 th century Subject - Geographical: Mt. Palomar, California Form / Genre: Clippings Don Darroch November 27, 1985 Rev. Amanda Loeb June 2010 Container List Box Folder 1 1 Anti-diffraction: H.E. Copp 2&3 Aurora: articles, clippings; photos; publications 2 1&2 Barcroft, D. P.; English Mechanics 3 James H. Barnhart 4&5 Binoculars 6 Binswanger - Henkin Industries (telescope mirror blanks) 7 Braymer, Larry 3 1 Camera, Sinton's fish-eye 2 Copp, H. E., Correspondence 3 Crystals, quartz, etc. 4-7 General Correspondence 4-8 1-36 General Correspondence 5 Custer-Allyn Diagnols
9 1-5 Diffraction gratings 10 1-5 Diffraction grating 11 1-3 Diffraction gratings 12 1 Esch, Karl 2 Feller, Robt. 3 Filters, Spectrohelioscope v. Monochromator 4 Flying saucers 5 Gage blocks; correspondence 6 Gage blocks; publications, phots 7 Galaxy: photos 8&9 Glass: publications, clippings 13 1&2 Hayward, Rodger: Scientific American article; invention; correspondence; photos 3-5 High vacuum technique (optics filming) 6 Ingalls, A.G. columns: The Amateur Astronomer 7 Ingalls, A.G. columns: Teleoptics, ect 14 1 Kensington Stone (publications) 2 Kingslake notes 3 King, H. C. 4 Kirkham, Alan R. 5 Lens, Goodwin-Barlow 15 1&2 Lens grinding and polishing: correspondence 3 Lens grinding and polishing: publication Lens grinding and polishing: photos 1-3 Maksutov telescope correspondence 16 1 Mathematics of curves 2 Meteorology, publications, clippings 3 Microscopes, reflecting: publications 4 Microscopes, reflecting: correspondence 17 1 Mirrors, astronomical: Encyclopedia Britannica article 2 Mirrors, spherical, primary and secondary; correspondence 3 Mirrors, spherical, primary and secondary Teleoptics, Scientific American, June 38 4 Mirror polishing (paper lap); publication Nelson, Walter Roy; correspondence 5 Mirror polishing (paper lap) publication Nelson, Walter Roy; correspondence 18 1 Observatories; publications, blueprints 2 Obsidian; publication, correspondence 3 Peabody, John J.: correspondence 4 Personnel: correspondence 5 Personnel: publications 6 Personnel: photos 7 Polaroid
19 1&2 Porter, Russell W.: correspondence (Porter s) 3 Porter, Russell W.: publication 4 Porter, Russell W.: telescope mounting 5 Porter, Russell W.: photos 6 Porter, Russell W.: obituaries 7&8 Publications, miscellaneous 20 1 Notes; letter: Ingalls to Ritchey, 1936; photograph Ritchey, George W. The Development of Astro- Photography and the Great Telescopes of the Future. Public Sous Les Auspices De La Societe Astronomique De France: 1929.. On the Modern Reflecting Telescope and the Making and Testing of Optical Mirror. City of Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1904. Draper, Henry. On the Construction of a Silvered Glass Telescope, Fifteen and Half Inches In Aperature, and its use in Celestial Photography. City of Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1904. 21 1 Notes; articles; correspondence, 1936; publications by and about Ritchey; photographs. Ritchey-Chretien curves Reveue d' Optique, 1922. 2 Rocketry and interplanetary travel; publications 3&4 Rocketry and interplanetary travel; clippings 5 Ronchi, Vasco (optical testing); correspondence, publications 22 1&2 Schmidt, Bernhard: correspondence 3 Schmidt, Bernhard: publications 4 Schmidt, Bernhard: photos 5 Schmidt, Bernhard: off-axis telescope 6 Schmidt, super- 7 Science Service, Inc.: feature articles 8 Semerau, Walter; correspondence, photos 23 1&2 Spectrographs; publication, 3 Sundials; correspondence, phots 4 Sundials; publications 24 1 Telescope: drives 2 Telescope: Herschelian 3 Telescope: history of 4 Telescope: Johnsonian, Sept. 1949 art 5 Telescope: Johnson s big trick Cassegrainier 6&7 Telescope: Ludwig Schupmann 8&9 Telescope: Refractor 10 Telescope: Ritchey-Chretien 40 11 Telescope: 16 and 20 12 Telescope: 120
25 1-4 Telescope: 200 (Mt. Palomar) 26 1 Telescope: 200 (Mt. Palomar) publications 2 Texereau, Jean 3&4 Weertman, Roelof: Engineering Stress Analysis (Sci. Am. Articles)