Charles Baptie, a photographer, printer, and publisher, was born in Munhall, PA on March 13, 1914. Early in life, Baptie became interested in photography and airplanes, interests that would eventually lead to him becoming a photographer and public relations agent for Capital Airlines. His camera recorded the life of the airline for many years. When Capital Airlines merged with United Airlines, Baptie left the company and formed his own business, Charles Baptie Studios, Inc.
While operating his own studio, Baptie provided photographs for more than fifty books and other publications, including: Capital Airlines: A Nostalgic Flight Into the Past, Great Houses of Washington, Camera on Assignment (with Ollie Atkins), the sixteen volume Encyclopedia of United States History, Guest House of the Presidents, the story of the Blair Lee House, and Mid the Hills of Pennsylvania . As a photojournalist, Baptie covered feature stories for leading magazines and other news publications. Over the course of his journalistic career, Baptie met and photographed many world leaders and public figures. He passed away in 2000.
From the guide to the The Charles Baptie photograph collection, 1917-1995, (George Mason University. Special Collections and Archives.)