Untitled, 1811. Full-length portrait of the first professional female balloonist, Marie Madeleine Sophie Armant Blanchard. The petite Frenchwoman is shown standing in an elegant balloon basket wearing an empire-waist style dress and hat with curls exposed, holding a flag in one hand and the balloon tethers in another. This image portrays her during her 1811 flight in Milan, Italy in celebration of Napoleon's birthday. Madame Blanchard continued ballooning after her husband's death in 1809 and was appointed "official government aeronaut." She became the first woman aeronautical casualty when she was killed falling from a Paris rooftop on July 6, 1819 after her balloon burst into flames.
Created by
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Date Created
11/23/2021
Source
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Keywords
Art; Aviation
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