Illustration Showing Clothing Inspired by Ballooning

The fascination with ballooning swept across Europe and America and became the 18th Century’s version of going viral.  Balloon-inspired hair and clothing styles, like the ones shown here, were all the rage in the final years of the century. Craftsmen and merchants produced jewelry, hats, fans, snuff boxes, match and needle cases, dinnerware, wall paper, bird cages, chandeliers, clocks, furniture, and a host of other balloon-themed objects to attract the eyes of customers and open their pocketbooks.