Come Aboard the Magic Carpet!” declared the Omaha World-Herald in 1947. In that year, it published forty-five aerial photographs that appeared in the newspaper’s booklet “Omaha from the Air.” These photographs gave eagle-eye views of downtown Omaha, landmarks, and landscapes.
    In the fifty-two years since Omahans first took flight aboard the World-Herald’s
 magic carpet, Omaha’s landscape has
shifted and altered. Many of the same landmarks photographed in “Omaha from the Air” such as the areas around St. Cecilia’s Cathedral, Boys Town, and Union Station, have been altered considerably.
    Using 42 aerial photographs held in The Durham Museum’s Photo Archive, the exhibit will highlight the changes to Omaha’s architecture and landscape over the passage of the twentieth century. Some objects to be included are several 1915 maps of Omaha highlighting the cities growth and change, cameras used by each of the photographers represented – Louis R. Bostwick, Robert Paskach, and John Savage.
On March 27, Kristine Gerber and Tom Kessler will explore the world of aerial photography at a special presentation and book signing. Gerber and Kessler are the author and photographer of Omaha-Council Bluffs Yesterday & Today. Reserverations are required due to limited seating. Call Andrea Boschult at (402) 444-5071 or e-mail aboschult@durhammuseum.org.