[Captive balloon of Henri Giffard over Paris, 1878; high above rooftops] – Historic Reproduction
![[Captive balloon of Henri Giffard over Paris, 1878; high above rooftops], 1878 — historic photograph](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/df/df1078ebd92f-L.webp)
(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 historic photograph of [Captive balloon of Henri Giffard over Paris, 1878; high above rooftops] brings a moment of history to your wall. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.
Order it framed and ready to hang, or unframed to match a frame you already love. A fine choice for anyone who loves history, and a gift that gets noticed. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.
[Captive balloon of Henri Giffard over Paris, 1878; high above rooftops]
Order a print
Thank you. Your order went through, and a receipt is on its way by email.
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.
A tethered balloon hangs above the Paris rooftops here, held by a cable rather than drifting free. Henri Giffard, the engineer who flew a steam-powered airship in 1852, built captive balloons that drew crowds to the Tuileries Gardens during the 1878 Exposition Universelle, carrying passengers aloft for views over the city. The print comes from the Tissandier Collection, assembled by Gaston Tissandier, a balloonist and photographer who documented flight in these years. The caption has been revised over time, so the exact site and date deserve some caution, but the scene fits the exposition year.
| Created / published | 1878 |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 photographic print. |
| Genre | Photographic prints 1870-1880. |
| Subjects | This record contains unverified data from old caption card, with subsequent revisions. Tissandier Collection. Caption card tracings: France--Paris--Misc.--1878; Balloons--1878; BI; Geogr.; Shelf. Giffard, Henri, 1837-1910. Sources checked: BI; BF; MUMS. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 1,536 × 1,496 px · prints to 5 × 5 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-151934 |
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.
![[Captive balloon of Henri Giffard over Paris, 1878; low above Saint Roch church]](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/64/64ac335962fa-400.webp)
![[Grand Balloon... de Mr. Henry Giffard, 1878 - High aerial view of Paris from Balloon]](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/0d/0d9e9496d092-400.webp)
![[Captive balloon with clock face and bell, floating above the Eiffel Tower, Paris, France] / Camille Grávis.](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/18/1882de3353fa-400.webp)
![[Grand Balloon... de Mr. Henry Giffard, 1878 - Birds-eye view of Balloon before ascent from Tuillerie Gardens, Paris; large crowd and reviewing stands]](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/89/8963307a5301-400.webp)
