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Smithsonian sunburst Smithsonian National Postal Museum
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    street map of Postal museum

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  • Hindenburg disaster card
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Hindenburg disaster card

Object Details

Description
The German zeppelin Hindenburg made sixty-three flights, including ten roundtrips to the United States in 1936. It met tragedy May 6, 1937. Attempting to land at Lakehurst, New Jersey, the giant airship burst into flames near the mooring mast. In only thirty-two seconds, the zeppelin was smoldering wreckage. Amazingly, nearly two-thirds of the passengers and crew survived.
This postcard was part of the mail salvaged from the wreckage. The U.S. Post Office Department enclosed the fragile, charred remains in a glassine envelope and officially sealed it before delivery to the addressee. Postal officials salvaged less than two hundred burned pieces of mail out of more than 17,000 pieces that had been on board.
This folded postcard, also known as an economical folded business card, allowed the sender to type the address and message without turning the card over. After typing, the address portion was folded to become part of the card face and glued into place. This card, addressed to John Schoonbrod in New York City, has a typed message on the reverse in which Ernst wrote that he was sending greetings by air, asked why he had not heard from Hans for awhile, and suggested a reply on an upcoming return flight of the Hindenburg. The international postcard rate was 15Rpf and, therefore, the rate is overpaid by 10Rpf. Though 10 Rpf was the required rate for airmail service in the U.S., no airmail was needed for a New York City destination.
This philatelic gem is from the John P. V. Heinmuller collection, a collection including over 2,000 zeppelin covers that Heinmuller donated to the National Postal Museum.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
1937
Object number
1993.2002.70.1
Type
Covers & Associated Letters
Medium
paper; ink; adhesive
Dimensions
Height x Width: 3 15/16 x 5 1/2 in. (10 x 14 cm) [cover] Height x Width: 4 1/4 x 5 13/16 in. (10.8 x 14.8 cm) [cover enclosure]
Place of Origin
Germany (German republic)
Place of Destination
New Jersey
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
On View
Currently on exhibit at the National Postal Museum
Topic
The Great Depression (1929-1939)
Covers & Letters
Record ID
npm_1993.2002.70.1
Usage
Usage conditions apply
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm8712465c5-0e3f-4da3-a6c7-6de6e18d838f
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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HomeSmithsonian National Postal Museum

Visit »

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
(Closed December 25)

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

street map of Postal museum

Learn more
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Owney, the Railway Mail Service Mascot

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