Folding hand fan with paper leaf and wood sticks. Sticks are possibly made of mahogany. Guard sticks and head have bone inlay in the edges. Something is handwritten in ink on the second stick from the left side when viewing the fan from the front. The front of the leaf has a printed design of three ballooning scenes embellished and colored with hand painting. The scenes show the flight of J.A.C. Charles and M.N. Robert from the Tuilleries, December 1, 1783. Fan shows balloon taking off, flying over the Tuileries Palace, and landing. Each scene is bordered with silver sequins. The reverse is printed with the music and four verses for 'Le Globe des Thuilleries, Où le Char Volant sur l'Air l'amitié vive et pure.' Created by Vanessa Nagengast Date Created 11/26/2014 Source National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution. Keywords Art Rights and Restrictions Not determined
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.