Print, Engraving on Paper, Colored, EXPÉRIENCE FAIT À VERSAILLES LE 19 SEPT 1783

Colored engraving on paper with French and German captions. Expérience fait à Versailles le 19 Sept 1783, 19 Sept 1783. Vue d'optique print depicts the launch of the Montgolfier brother's balloon on September 19, 1783. The ascent took place at the Palace of Versailles in France and the royal family was present for the launch. The first living creatures to fly, a duck, a rooster, and a sheep, ventured aloft in a wicker cage dangling beneath the balloon. All three of the animals survived and helped to demonstrate that balloon flight was safe for humans. A Vue d'optique print such as this is used in a device called a zograscope which employs a mirror and lens to give the viewer a sense of depth and perspective.