Beschreibung:

A view from a distance of the hot air balloon, Monarch of the Air taken at the time of ascension, with a large crowd of onlookers surrounding the balloon, inked manuscript on verso This is the largest one. "Monarch of the Air." The Monarch was one of many balloons constructed by James Allen (1824-1897), one of New England's first aeronauts. On two occasions, in both 1880 and 1881, Allen remained in the air for ten days in succession, and throughout his lifetime, Allen made over 400 ascents from several locations including Woodward's gardens in San Francisco, Quebec, and Paraguay. During the Civil War, Allen even helped to introduce the use of hot air balloons in the monitoring of Confederate lines to the Union Army. Condition: Even toning to image; slight vertical tear along lower left edge of mount; light spotting on mat.