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Montgolfier balloon ascent, Versailles
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Montgolfier balloon ascent, Versailles
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Media ID 7475271
© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10610363
1780s 1783 Ascent Ballooning Bois Carrefour Cockerel Descended Duck Marechal Montgolfier Passengers Presence Sheep Spectators Survived Vaucresson Versailles Unharmed
EDITORS COMMENTS
This print depicts the historic Montgolfier balloon ascent that took place in the grounds of the Royal Château de Versailles on September 4, 1783. The Montgolfier brothers, Jacques-Étienne and Joseph-Michel, had made history just a few months earlier with their successful hot air balloon flight on June 4, 1783, in Annonay, France. This subsequent flight at Versailles, attended by the French royal family and a large crowd, marked the beginning of the popularization of ballooning as a form of transportation and recreation. In the foreground of the image, King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, dressed in elegant 1780s attire, are seen observing the scene with great interest. The Montgolfier balloon, shaped like a large oblate sphere, is tethered to the ground with ropes, while a cockerel and a duck are shown on the ground beneath it, adding a whimsical touch to the scene. The presence of a sheep and a sheepherder at the base of the balloon underscores the novelty and potential of this new mode of transportation. The Marquis d'Arlandes and Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, the passengers for this flight, are shown standing next to the balloon, preparing for their ascent. The crowd of spectators, including nobility and commoners alike, watches with a mix of excitement and trepidation as the balloon begins to rise, with the Château de Versailles and its gardens providing a picturesque backdrop. The Montgolfier brothers, who are shown in the background, are seen directing the preparations for the flight. The large, air-filled balloon eventually rose to a height of around 5,000 feet, and the passengers survived the flight unharmed, descending in the Bois de Vaucresson, near Versailles. This event marked a significant milestone in the history of aviation and paved the way for further advancements in ballooning and, eventually, powered flight.
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