100 years ago today, Alexander Graham Bell (best known for his invention of the telephone) and Lawrence Hargrave (who most famously paved the way towards the first powered flight with his invention of the box kite) posed for this photograph in Hargrave’s backyard at Woollahra Point, Sydney. Hargrave recorded in his journal that he and Bell “talked flying for 2 hours”, as Bell visited Sydney especially to meet Hargrave.
Around 1898, after Bell had launched the telephone, he moved into experimenting with different types of kites, including the box kite, as an apparatus for a flying machine. Bell, however, used bigger boxes than Hargrave with the belief that he would be able to achieve a more powerful and stable lift. This wasn’t the case – as his oversized boxes wouldn’t even lift off the ground (although, as it was later shown, larger boxes were more effective if they comprised multiple cells)! Bell continued to experiment with kites until 1906 at which time he moved on to developing the hydrofoil boat.
Bell spoke highly of Hargrave’s work and remarked “his work formed the basis of our modern progress and teaching regarding the navigation of the air”. Bell was one of many notable European and North American aviation pioneers who recognised Hargrave’s knowledge and achievement in this field. Unfortunately, however, Hargrave has never received the same accolades in his adopted country of Australia.
Photography from Lawrence Hargrave Collection
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Post by Melanie Pitkin
