02224uA consultation previous to an aerial voyage fro

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The title describes a conference held before a balloon ascent, so the picture shows the planning that came before the flight rather than the flight itself. In late eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Britain, balloon launches were public spectacles, often staged at pleasure gardens and open spaces, and the preparations drew as much attention as the ascent. Prints of this kind were popular with a middle-class audience that followed the new science of aeronautics. Looking closely at the figures and their gestures can show how the period viewed these early aviators, some as serious experimenters and others as showmen.

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