Engraved hot air balloon labelled Le Pilote – Antique Print
(Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)
Description
This rare historic image captures Engraved hot air balloon labelled Le Pilote in remarkable detail. It comes from the Snapshots of the Past collection, curated over 25 years for its historical value.
Order it framed and ready to hang, or unframed to match a frame you already love. Perfect for a home, office, library or classroom wall, and a gift with a story behind it. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.
Engraved hot air balloon labelled Le Pilote
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Among the early ballooning images in this gallery, this engraving stands out for its label, "Le Pilote," which names the aeronaut rather than the machine. Balloon flight was new in the 1780s, after the Montgolfier brothers launched their first hot air balloons in France in 1783, and prints like this one spread the spectacle to people who would never see an ascent themselves. Engravers of the period often showed the balloon as a fragile globe lifting a small basket, a pairing that made the sport look both daring and a little comic. Look closely at the figure and the lines of the basket to see how the artist set the pilot against the open sky.
| Original scan | 3,156 × 4,050 px · prints to 11 × 14 in at 300 dpi |
|---|---|
| Reference | 02485u Le pilote |
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Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.
