This finding aid was created from a MARC collection-level record.
Balloons Exhibition, 39088002611069; opened: p. 370-371, p. 13, p.23, p.71; Upcott, W. Scrapbook. 1994/09/01 through 1995/04/15. Diane Shaw. SIL Exh. Gallery. Tom Crouch
Binder's title.
Collection of prints, newspaper and journal clippings, mss., separately published tracts, and printed ephemera (in various sizes) connected with the early years of aeronautics, primarily ballooning.
Arranged in roughly chronological order, e.g., v. 1 has material mostly from circa 1783-1802; v. 2 mostly from 1785-1837; and v. 3 mostly from 1837-1840. However, each v. also includes materials from dates outside of these ranges.
Page [423] is signed: "William Upcott of Islington, collector of engravings connected with aerostation."
Originally unbound. cf. Cat. of the Library of W. Upcott, London, 1846, p. 65.
Includes these published works bound in (each cataloged separately): Lunardi, V. An account of the first aërial voyage in England. London : Printed for the author ..., 1784 -- The Man in the moon. [S.l.? : s.n.?, circa 1830] -- Sadler, J. Balloon, an authentic account of the ærial voyage of Messrs. Sadler and Clayfield. [Bristol] : Printed for the benefit of Mr. Sadler, by A. Brown, [1810] -- High and low. London : Printed by L. Thompson, 1824 -- A full and correct description of this extraordinary machine ... the Eagle. London : Printed and published by J. Thompson, 1835.
A short ([4] p.) anonymous handwritten political allegory with an aeronautical theme, entitled: "The Dolphin carried off: a dream," is mounted on p. 7 of v. 1.
Some of the balloonists featured in this scrapbook include the Montgolfiers, Lunardi, Blanchard, Garnerin, Robert, Charles, Barrett, Hullin, Sowden, de Moret, MacGwire, Graham, Sadler, Green, Cocking, and Gypson, among others.
NASMRB copy has a leaf of viewers' signatures and their brief comments, dating from the mid-20th century, bound in at the front of v. 1.
NASMRB copy has been re-bound in 3 v., with each v. bound in full red leather with raised bands and gilt-lettered spine, interleaved throughout with blank sheets of paper; each v. is housed in a separate linen-covered box with printed red paper spine labels.
NASMRB copy has bookplates: 1. (armorial) Robert Hollond, with motto: Vincit qui se vincit; 2. Library of the National Air Museum: a gift from Mrs. John Carruthers ... Pasadena 5, California.
NASMRB copy has p. 129-136 in v. 1 misbound upside-down and in reverse order between p. [128] and 137.
NASMRB copy has some ms. annotations made by the collector and by subsequent owners.