BALLOONS IN 3D STEREOCARDS

These images are of free balloons. These are gas balloons, from about 1860 to about 1930. Similar balloons were used tethered for observation, and appear on the Boer War and Observation Balloons pages. Click on any thumbnail image to see a full sized view. The images are very roughly in chronological order of subject.

Early European Balloon Views
	Left, Godard, circa 1860 Right, Godard at the Fête de St Cloud, 1863. This view was also published as a 'Tissue' which could be viewed in transmission Thanks!
	Two very similar (but not identical - see the people have moved) views of a Godard Balloon ascent.
	The Great Nadar - Two views of the same flight. From its size, the larger balloon is Le Geant [Constructed by the Godard Brothers], at the Champ de Mars, 1863. The simultaneous flight of two balloons took place on 18th October and was reported in 'La Lumière' where the smaller balloon was named as the "grand ballon des fêtes" The photo on the left was taken at around 15:00 inflated, gondola not attached, and the one on the right at around 17:00 (takeoff) Thanks!
	Amateur view of an early balloon meet. Probably French. Parts of three balloons can be seen. Thanks!	Stereoscopic Postcard titled 'A balloon ascent'. Early 1900's
Early American Balloon Views
PROFESSOR KING
	Prof King's 'Buffalo' - one of the most photographed balloons of the1870's. This flight from Cleveland Ohio on July 4th 1875.

	The set above even covers the onlookers. The ones on this line are not so well preserved.
	These images are appear to be different reproductions from the same negative of a flight from Rochester NY.


	American balloon, looks like 1880's. Photographed by A.M. Allen, possibly Pottsville, Pennsylvania. (Thanks!)
	Professor C.E. Myers' Balloon 'Aerial' 1880's. Left, showing the Lady Aeronaut Carlotta (Mrs Myers).
	The Captive Balloon, Midway Plaisance Worlds Fair Chicago. Strohmeyer and Wyman. 1893
Later Balloon Views
	Beautiful balloon card published by JF Jarvis. This is the 'Grand Captive Balloon' at the Swiss National Exhibition, Geneva May 1-October 18 1896.
	Uncommon variant of above. 'Balloon Ascension,July 1896, Geneva, Switzerland' Published Strohmeyer and Wyman © Underwood and Underwood There is yet another slightly different image of this view - but I don't have a decent image of it to share.
	Stereo Travel Co
	The 'Indianapolis' Stereo Travel Co.
	Two gas balloons, possibly the same event, but not as well photographed or mounted.
	Keystone 26304. 'Seven Great "Gas Bags" Ready for Start of Distance Flying Contest - Kelly Field, San Antonio Texas - April 24 1924'
	Keystone 26306 The 'Goodyear,' Winner of the Elimination Contest Starting Great 1100 Mile Flight. San Antonio Texas - April 24 1924. The version of this card in the 'Airplanes' series is titled "The start of a Balloon Race, San Antonio 1932". I think 1924 is the correct date.
	Looks like a haphazard take-off, and the stereoview looks as if it was made by sticking newspaper to card.

The Keystone Gas Balloon Inflation Series (so much more information here, I've made a new page)
A Keystone sequence of views a of a gas balloon inflating... Negative numbers 12138 to 12150. Number stamped on the cards indicate that they may have been published on their own, and as part of a larger set. The ones I have are blank on the back. The text on each card indicates a familiarity with ballooning, and the sequence brings out many of the main points in inflating a balloon with Town Gas. Waldsmith describes the balloon as a 'large U.S. Signal Corps gas balloon c. 1905, and says that the negatives were amongst those acquired from Underwood and Underwood. This is confirmed by the Library of Congress entry describing the series as U.S. Signal Corps at work on balloon, Ft. Myer, Va., 1907 and showing that there are many more images in the original series (go to http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/cphquery.html and search for 'balloon stereo' for further information) The Library of Congress only has copies of half of the stereocards, which is a bit of a tragedy really, as they've lost an entire dimension :*(.
	Left: 12138 'Attaching the long silk tube leading from the gas main to neck of the balloon' Right: 12142 'Attaching the valve to the top of the balloon.'
	Left: 12145 'Top of partly filled balloon showing valve in place.' Right: 12147 'The nearly filled balloon and method of attaching ballast bags to net.'
	Left: 12149 'The filled balloon - pulling in the sand bags toward the basket.' Right:12150 'Attaching the basket weighted with sand-bags to the ring.'
	See Additional Page on this series

This page was last updated on 19-Dec-2007.

Back to Stereoscopic Images of Lighter than Air Flight homepage