Snapshots of the Past

[The balloon Zénith at sunrise or sunset, with five passengers during a long distance flight from Paris to Arcachon in March, 1875] – Historic Print

[The balloon Zénith at sunrise or sunset, with five passengers during a long distance flight from Paris to Arcachon in March, 1875], [between 1875 and 1880] — historic drawing
[The balloon Zénith at sunrise or sunset, with five passengers during a long distance flight from Paris to Arcachon in March, 1875], [between 1875 and 1880]. Historic drawing from the Ballooning collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

This rare historic drawing captures [The balloon Zénith at sunrise or sunset, with five passengers during a long distance flight from Paris to Arcachon in March, 1875] in remarkable detail. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.

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 has been bringing history to the wall since 2001, for tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

[The balloon Zénith at sunrise or sunset, with five passengers during a long distance flight from Paris to Arcachon in March, 1875]

Order a print

Secure checkout · SSL encryptedPowered by Stripe and PayPal

Free shipping in the lower 48 states. The checkout page shows the picture, size and price before you pay.

Sign up for our newsletter

Sent securely. No purchase needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Ask about licensing or this print

Tissandier's wash drawing shows the balloon *Zénith* against a sky lit by either sunrise or sunset, carrying five passengers on a long-distance run from Paris to Arcachon in March 1875. The library's catalogers link the drawing to the illustrations in Gaston Tissandier's *Histoire de mes ascensions* (Paris, 1878), and it is possibly the work of his brother Albert. The *Zénith* is best remembered for a high-altitude flight in April 1875, when its crew reached extreme heights and two of the three men aboard, Théodore Sivel and Joseph Crocé-Spinelli, died. The drawing predates that tragedy, and its soft washes capture the balloon's calm, luminous setting.

Created / published[between 1875 and 1880]
Medium1 drawing : ink wash, watercolor, and lead white.
GenreWash drawings Color 1870-1880.
NotesPossibly drawn by Albert Tissandier. Title and date devised by Library staff, based on illustrations in Histoire de mes ascensions ... / par Gaston Tissandier. Paris : M. Dreyfous, 1878. Tissandier collection.
SubjectsBalloons (Aircraft)--French--1870-1880. Sunrises & sunsets--1870-1880.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan4,002 × 2,946 px · prints to 13 × 10 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-223714

More from the Ballooning collection

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.

Related pictures

[Lunar halo and luminescent cross observed during the balloon Zénith's long distance flight from Paris to Arcachon in March, 1875][Lunar halo and luminescent cross observed during the balloon Zénith's long dist[Aerial view of Paris, France, from balloon, showing the Eiffel Tower in center foreground, taken during the Paris Exposition of 1889][Aerial view of Paris, France, from balloon, showing the Eiffel Tower in center Balloon in flight during U.S. Signal Corps operations at Ft. Myer, Va., 1907Balloon in flight during U.S. Signal Corps operations at Ft. Myer, Va., 1907Hot air balloon labeled H. Lachambre with two passengersHot air balloon labeled H. Lachambre with two passengers[Departure of Jacques Charles and Marie-Noel Robert's 'aerostatic globe' balloon from the Jardin des Tuileries, Paris, on Dec. 1, 1783][Departure of Jacques Charles and Marie-Noel Robert's 'aerostatic globe' balloon[Captive balloon of Henri Giffard over Paris, 1878; low above Saint Roch church][Captive balloon of Henri Giffard over Paris, 1878; low above Saint Roch church]