A scene in rural France: A farmer holding onto a plow drawn by a team of oxen, shepherds with their sheep, and a man fishing in a stream, all look up in astonishment at the air balloon overhead. This print references the third flight of Jean-Pierre Blanchard, his second with American John Jeffries and the first flight over the English Channel.
- Printmaker: Bonvallet, L. (Louis), approximately 1748-1818, printmaker.
- Title: Apparition du globe aerostatique de Mr. Blanchard, entre Calais et Boulogne parti de Douvres le 7 de Janvier 1785 à 1 heure 1/2 [graphic] / dessiné par Desrais ; gravé́ par L. Bonvalet.
- Publication: A Paris : Chez Basset rue St. Jacques au coin de celle des Mathurins, [1785]
785.01.00.01+
Acquired January 2021
“Rural scene with two couples dancing on the left while a man pipes and plays a drum under a tree on the right, and another couple watch at a table in front of him, smoking and drinking; village in the background.”–British Museum online catalogue.