The Lillian Virginia Mountweazel Research Collection

Our extensive collection of Combustibles Magazines showcases the all-photographic American publication dedicated to both literal and metaphorical combustible topics, with a strong emphasis on the former. 

 

During its heyday in the 1960s and 70s, Mountweazel completed several notable assignments for the magazine, covering a range of subjects from the whimsical history of fireworks to the disturbing revelations about Wernher von Braun, NASA's head during its prime, and his collusion with Nazi Germany.

 

Tragically, Mountweazel died in an explosion while on assignment for Combustibles. A Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic passenger airliner, performing at a nearby airshow, crashed into the small village she was documenting—the focus of her story on the negative health effects of sound pollution in communities near major international airports. 

 

Pierre Menard, a photojournalism scholar, regards her contributions for the magazine as "one of the most important in the world of pyromaniac publishing."