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The War balloon at General M'Dowell's head-quarters preparing for a reconnoissance / sketched by Ed. Pietsch. – Antique Wall Art

The War balloon at General M'Dowell's head-quarters preparing for a reconnoissance / sketched by Ed. Pietsch., 1861 — antique engraving
The War balloon at General M'Dowell's head-quarters preparing for a reconnoissance / sketched by Ed. Pietsch., 1861. Antique engraving 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

Step back in time with The War balloon at General M'Dowell's head-quarters preparing for a reconnoissance / sketched by Ed. Pietsch., an antique engraving rich in period detail. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. Perfect for a home, office, library or classroom wall, and a gift with a story behind it. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Since 2001, Snapshots of the Past has shipped historic prints to tens of thousands of customers around the world.

The War balloon at General M'Dowell's head-quarters preparing for a reconnoissance / sketched by Ed. Pietsch.

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This wood engraving shows a balloon being readied at the headquarters of General Irvin McDowell, the Union commander near Washington, before a reconnaissance flight. Aerial observation was new to American warfare in 1861, and Thaddeus Lowe's balloons were used to watch Confederate positions from tethered baskets above the lines. *Harper's Weekly* published the scene in its October 26, 1861, issue, drawn from a sketch by Ed. Pietsch. Notice the ground crew handling the ropes and gas apparatus, a reminder of how much equipment a balloon needed.

Created / published1861
Medium1 print : wood engraving.
GenrePeriodical illustrations 1860-1870.Wood engravings 1860-1870.
NotesIllus. from: Harper's weekly, 1861 Oct. 26, p. 679.
SubjectsBalloons (Aircraft)--1860-1870. Military reconnaissance--1860-1870. United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Military facilities.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan4,096 × 3,336 px · prints to 14 × 11 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-178187

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