These early “drone” photographs were made with an amazing airborne rig

High above the early 1900s

“San Francisco in Ruins.” The picture which made George Lawrence a wealthy man was shot six weeks after the 1906 earthquake. (George R. Lawrence/Library of Congress)

He called it his “Captive Airship,” and though George R. Lawrence could not have known it at the time, his invention would serve as a very early precursor to the camera-equipped drones of today. But then, the commercial photographer from Chicago was anything but shortsighted. Though he’s best remembered for his inventions—world’s largest camera, flash photography—he was also a pioneer in the business of pictures. Prints of his 1906 aerial photo of earthquake-ruined San Francisco sold scores of copies, from which he earned over $15,000 (close to $400,000 in today’s terms).

Lawrence was a true pragmatist. He only started using kites after the hydrogen balloon carrying him and his camera failed at 200 feet. Needless to say, the fall left him shook. But his response—a custom rig of kites and cables designed to carry a lightweight camera—would ensure Lawrence was no longer needed up top. A magnetic shutter release could be triggered by electric current running up the wire.

The Captive Airship’s camera encasement (left) was suspended from three fifteen foot booms and a series of conyne kites (right). (Wikimedia)

In some of the Captive Airship photographs, held now by the Library of Congress, portions of the 15-foot boom arms are visible encroaching into its extremely wide-angle field of view. Those arms would have been spaced equally and counter-weighted below Lawrence’s 50-pound camera, all of which was in turn suspended via a stack of 17 kites. The contraption could reach heights of up to 2,000 feet, resulting in images vastly different from any the world had seen. Unlike the more static, composed photos obtainable from an aircraft or very tall building, these unmanned auto vistas carry a sense of spontaneity. Tilted or angled against the horizon, distorted by wide angle optics and the operator’s inability to compose, Lawrence’s panoramas are imbued with an optimistic air of wonder and the elation born to a new century in American ingenuity.

Bird’s eye view of ruins of San Francisco from 600 feet above Folsom between Fifth and Sixth Streets. 1906. (George R. Lawrence/Library of Congress)

Atlantic City, New Jersey, from 500 feet. 1909. (George R. Lawrence/Library of Congress)

The campus of Northwestern University on the shores of Lake Michigan. Evanston, Illinois, 1909. (George R. Lawrence/Library of Congress)

Bird’s-eye view of La Grange, Illinois. Shot from Lawrence’s Captive Airship at an elevation of 1000 ft. (George R. Lawrence/Library of Congress)

Lawrence’s lightweight panoramic camera (left) designed for use with his Captive Airship invention for aerial photography (right). (Wikimedia)

Pismo Beach, California, 1909. (George R. Lawrence/Library of Congress)

Salinas, California, 1906. (George R. Lawrence/Library of Congress)

Pacific Grove, California, 1906. (George R. Lawrence/Library of Congress)

San Francisco under reconstruction, in 1908 only two years after the earthquake. Note the Captive Airship’s arms protruding in top corners of the frame. (George R. Lawrence/Library of Congress)

Berkeley, California, seen from 1000 feet on November 24, 1908. (George R. Lawrence/Library of Congress)

Naval fleet entering the San Francisco Bay through an unbridged Golden Gate in 1908. (George R. Lawrence/Library of Congress)

Chicago Heights, Illinois, seen from Lawrence’s Captive Airship in 1908. (George R. Lawrence/Library of Congress)