Conquest of the Skies: A History of Ballooning

Of all the scientific discoveries and intellectual advances of the eighteenth century, there were none that so excited the enthusiasm of the people, both educated and uneducated, as the balloon.

It was not until 4 June 1783, however, that history generally recognizes the first public balloon flight. Near Annonay, in southern France, the brothers Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier, sons of a wealthy paper manufacturer, constructed their “aerostatic machine” of linen lined with paper and filled it with rarefied air, which they generated by burning bundles of straw along with some wool.

This exhibition presents many of the scientific and historical works on ballooning written during the century following the Montgolfiers’ flight in 1783 as well as children’s books featuring balloons.