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Lunardi in a balloon
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Lunardi in a balloon
Lunardis Grand Air Balloon, engraved for the Aerostatic Spy 1 April 1785. Probably depicting his flight from the Artillery Grounds to Ware in Hertfordshire on 15 September 1784.
1785
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Media ID 7474977
© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10610213
1780s 1784 1785 Aerostatic Artillery Ballooning Cage Grounds Hertfordshire Lunardi Oars Pilot Spectators Ware Waving
EDITORS COMMENTS
This print commemorates the historic flight of the Italian aeronaut, Jean-Pierre Blanchard's passenger, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier (commonly known as Lunardi), in the Grand Air Balloon during the Aerostatic Spy on 15 September 1784. The image, engraved for the year 1785, captures Lunardi in the moment of takeoff from the Artillery Grounds in London, waving to the onlookers below. Dressed in a hat and coat, he appears both excited and determined as he ascends into the sky, surrounded by the cage of the balloon. The Grand Air Balloon, a marvel of the 1780s, was a significant advancement in transportation and aviation technology. Lunardi's flight to Ware in Hertfordshire marked the first long-distance balloon flight in England, covering a distance of approximately 25 miles. The print shows the balloon drifting gracefully over the landscape, with birds in the sky and oarsmen in the foreground, ready to follow the balloon's trajectory. The spectators below, including a group of women, are in awe of the scene unfolding before them. The print's title, "Lunardi in his Grand Air Balloon, engraved for the Aerostatic Spy, 1st April 1785," suggests that this image was created to document and celebrate the pioneering spirit of the age of discovery. The Aerostatic Spy was a publication that reported on the latest developments in ballooning and aeronautics, further emphasizing the significance of Lunardi's flight. This print offers a glimpse into the past, transporting us back to a time when the impossible seemed possible, and the skies were a new frontier for human exploration.
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