MS-271 Peerless Mayfield Collection

Introduction

The Peerless Mayfield Collection consists of 521 contact prints by aerial photographer William Preston Mayfield (1896-1974). The collection was received in late 1996 by gift from Dr. Sidney Peerless, through Mr. Walt Burton. The collection is close in provenance to MS-269, the Caporale Mayfield Collection. Many of the images in both collections are of similar subjects and clearly come from the same source. Users may wish to consult both collections to obtain a more complete overview of Mayfield's photographic legacy. The collection is contained in 3 boxes. It is arranged alphabetically by subject. Inclusive dates are approximately 1913 to 1979. It has accession number 97-26. Please see archivist for copyright restricts.

Biography

William Preston Mayfield was born July 20, 1896, in Lexington, Kentucky. He took up photography in 1909 at the age of 12 and a year after, in 1910, began work for the Dayton Journal newspaper. He left later the same year to become a staff photographer for James M. Cox's Dayton Daily News. One of his first assignments for the News was to photograph the activities of the Wright Brothers at Huffman Prairie. This assignment led to what he claimed was the first aerial photograph in America, an oblique shot of the Wright's hanger at Huffman Prairie taken from an altitude of about 300 feet, while flying with Orville Wright as pilot of an "Exhibition B" Wright Flyer. Two years later, in 1912, Mayfield started his own studio to take advantage of a growing commercial photography sideline. In 1913, Mayfield was well placed to record the Dayton Flood, spending three days and nights trapped in Governor Cox's office at the Dayton Newspapers building. Mayfield continued to take staff assignments with the Daily News until about 1930. Meanwhile, his commercial business grew as his interests in aviation and aerial photography led him to establish one of the first aerial photography studios in the country, shortly after World War I. Through the years, Mayfield's contacts in aviation included speed demons Roscoe Turner, Barney Oldfield, and Eddie Rickenbacker, and stunt pilot J.C. "Slim" Gregory. He was also well placed to photograph military pilots and aviation "firsts" at airfields around the Dayton area. Bill Mayfield worked at various times as a newsreel cameraman for international distributors like Pathe, Kinogram, and Universal. He was also employed by Columbus-based Paragon Feature Films.

Mayfield was married to Cornelia Wortman of Dayton. They had one daughter, Marguerite Rogers, of St. Petersburg, Florida. Mayfield continued his Dayton-based business of aerial and commercial photography until the 1960's. Cornelia, his wife died in 1967, and the same year, he decided to sell his studio and substantial (100,000+) negative archive to his assistant, photographer Marvin Christian. William Preston Mayfield died in 1974 at the age of 77.

Scope and Content Note

William Preston Mayfield's primary interests were in aerial and aviation related photography, and this collection includes many excellent images of early Dayton and surrounding communities viewed from a variety of angles and all altitudes up to about 20,000 feet. The majority of the aerial images are from a low oblique angle, taken at an altitude of under 1000 feet. They are therefore excellent for close detail of urban industrial and commercial districts. There are also some excellent aerial views of small towns, for instance, Waynesville and Fairborn, Ohio, taken in the early 1920's. Other major subjects include buildings in and around Dayton, Ohio, and a small collection of street scenes. Notable industries represented include Frigidaire; Delco (now Delphi); the Duriron Corporation; Inland; and Standard Register. Domestic views include many homes and streets in the Dayton area.

People photographed include fashion models, members of the public, Santa Claus impersonators, and General John Pershing (while on a personal appearance tour in Dayton about 1919). There is a small collection of advertising-related product photography. Famous pilots photographed include Col. Roscoe Turner, Bill Whelan, Howard Rinehart, and Lt. John Macready (see Aviation. People. Groups).

Inventory