People have always wanted to fly. It has been an unwavering motivation that has, on many occasions, led to progress. One of the most notable advances was the invention of the hot-air balloon at the end of the 18th century.
This large balloon, attached to a gondola, makes short trips through the air possible. Even today, hot-air ballooning is one of those experiences that many people want to try!
So it’s hardly surprising that there are so many postcards, some of them very old
Just imagine that the first manned flight (with a rooster, a duck and a sheep) actually took place in Versailles
under the eyes of Louis XVI on 4 June 1783!
A few months later, in November, Jacques-François Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d’Arlandes made history as the first men to fly in a hot-air balloon.
Although this means of locomotion does not offer as many possibilities as the aeroplane, it will prove useful at certain critical moments in history. These included balloon mails, of course, but also the First World War.
The hot-air balloon was even one of the British allies during the Boer War in South Africa!
But, as you can see, hot-air ballooning is above all a leisure means of transport that amazes both its occupants and those who come to see the balloons pass by!
It’s also an interesting subject for illustrators, and there’s no shortage of cartoons to choose from. You will find a small selection in this article, but there are
thousands of others on www.delcampe.net, the collectors’ marketplace!
Héloïse,
The balloons illustrated on this page were all hydrogen filled, not hot air balloons.