The invention of the hot air balloon in 1783 caused a sensation which would last for more than a century. The great aeronaut Jean-Pierre Blanchard and his fellow pioneers were followed by many others, whose lift-off attracted masses of people again and again. The subsequent “balloon mania” created a new element in cultural history: the third dimension, reflected in the literary and visual arts as well as in high culture and popular imagination.

Scenes from a Balloon skilfully endeavours to reconstruct the sensation the balloon caused in cultural history of the late eighteenth and nineteenth century in Europe and the United States.

After Thomas Baldwin produced the first image from a balloon in 1785, reproduction of remarkable prints, paintings, and photographs gained widespread popularity. Balloons inspired well-known photographers and artists, including Nadar, Spelterini, Goya, Manet, Daumier, and Redon, but they also led to a wealth of arts & crafts and popular souvenirs. The adventures of Blanchard, Nadar and other balloonists were a source of inspiration for popular writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne, and Mark Twain.