Royal Vauxhall Nassau Balloon
Dates
- 1837
Creator
- Balne, Giles, -1838 (Printer, Person)
Conditions Governing Use
Access to the Theodore Newton Vail Collection of Aeronautical Images, Broadsides and Clippings is not authorization to publish. Separate written application for permission to publish must be made to the Institute Archives. Copyright of some items in this collection may be held by respective creators, not by the donor of the collection.
Biographical / Historical
Charles Green (1785-1870) was one of the 19th century’s most celebrated aeronauts. He made over 500 ascents in his career, primarily in his native England. These ascents included the first voyage in a balloon filled with coal-gas. Most of Green’s ascents were made in his Royal Vauxhall Balloon, built in August, 1836. Among these was an 18 hour, 480 mile journey undertaken in November 1836 from Vauxhall Gardens in London to Nassau in Germany. Green was accompanied on this record-breaking trip by Robert Hollond and Monck Mason. Thereafter, the Vauxhall Balloon was known as the “Nassau” or “Royal Nassau” balloon. In 1840 Green proposed a cross-Atlantic flight which generated much publicity but never took place. Charles Green was also involved in the tragic death of amateur parachutist Robert Cocking, whose fatal descent was made from the Nassau balloon piloted by Green. He retired from ballooning in 1852.
Language of Materials
English
Existence and Location of Originals
Box 7
Physical Description
Broadside
Dimensions
11.3 x 14.4 cm
General Note
Broadside advertising an ascent by Charles Green from Vauxhall on June 23, 1837.
Sources used for Biographical/Historical note
Crouch, Tom D., The Eagle Aloft, Two Centuries of the Balloon in America (Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C., 1983), 178.
Hodgson, J.E., History of Aeronautics in Great Britain (Oxford University Press, London, 1924), 241-262.
Rolt, L.T.C., The Aeronauts: A History of Ballooning 1783-1903 (Walker, New York, 1966), 118, 121-130.
- Balloon ascensions Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Balloonists Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Balloons (aircraft) Subject Source: Thesaurus for Graphic Materials
- Broadsides Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Green, Charles, 1785-1870
- prints (visual works) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Creator
- Balne, Giles, -1838 (Printer, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Libraries. Department of Distinctive Collections Repository
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