Since 1763 the name 'Russborough' has been synonymous with collecting and dealing in fine art. In the closing decades of the last century the historic town of Port Hope has become home to Lord Russborough's Annex, which specialises in an individual mix of antique maps, paintings and prints.

While Lord Russborough's Annex features a great many works of museum calibre, we also offer a wonderful selection of prints priced at under $100.

Ballooning

An extract of our prints currently available:
Section 1 2 3
Godard’s 'Montgolfier' Balloon
M de Groof, the flying man.

 

Shown are the original images.  Reproductions are available upon request

Balloon 1

Juvenile Fete and Balloon race at Cremore Gardens.

Subtly hand tinted (by an early hand) wood engraving published in the Illustrated London News  Sept. 17 1859. Image size inc. letters. 6 x 9” (5.3 x 22.8 cm.)

Ref. DGL B1/-/ l.andr >DAL SOLD

balloon 2

Rural and Musical Fete at Basford Park.

Subtly hand tinted (by an early hand) wood engraving published in the Illustrated London News 1859.Image size inc. letters. 6 1/8 x 9 3/8” (15.6 x 23.8 cm.)

Ref. DGL B2/-/ l.andr >DAL SOLD

balloon 3

Ascent of the Victoria Balloon at Hastings.

Subtly hand tinted (by an early hand) wood engraving published in the Illustrated London News April 12 1851. Image size inc. letters. 6 x 9 ¼ ” (5.3 x 23.3 cm.)

Ref. DGL B3/-/ l.andr >DAL SOLD

balloon 4

Balloon.

Subtly hand tinted (by an early hand)  wood engraving published in the Illustrated London News 1842.Image size inc. letters. 2 5/8 x 1 5/8”  (7 x 4.2cm)

Ref. DGL B4/-/ l.andr >RN SOLD

balloon 5

Ascent of M. Poitevin’s [sic.] Balloon from Nantes

Subtly hand tinted (by an early hand)  wood engraving published in the Illustrated London News Dec. 6 1851. Image size inc. letters. 4 ¾  x 6”  (7 x 5.2 cm)               

Ref. DGL B5/-/ l.andr >LN

Click here for printing technique

Shown are the original images.  Reproductions are available upon request

 Shown are the original images.  Reproductions are available upon request

balloon 6

Ascent of M. Poiteven [sic], on horseback, in a balloon, from the Champ de Mars, Paris.

Subtly hand tinted (by an early hand)  wood engraving published in the Illustrated London News August 1852. Image size inc. letters. 6 ¼  x 4 7/8”  (15.9 x 12.4 cm)

Ref. DGL B6/-/ l.andr >GL SOLD

With original highly graphic and descriptive text. 10,000 people paid to witness this successful ascent (one woman fainted) the horse chewed leaves from the treetops. Horse & rider descended after about an hour.  M. Poiteven was not so fortunate in a later balloon descent in 1858 near Malaga, when he nearly drowned in the sea and succumbed soon after.

balloon 7

The car of Nadar’s Balloon at the Crystal Palace.

Subtly hand tinted (by an early hand)  wood engraving published in the Illustrated London News Dec. 12 1863. Image size inc. letters. 7 x 9 5/16”  (17.8 x 23.6 cm)      

Ref. DGL B7/-/ l.andr >DEL SOLD

Gaspard Félix Tournachon aka ‘Nadar’ was a great showman and flamboyant society photographer, a pioneer of Aerial stereoscopic photography. Nadar's giant balloon, the basket of which contained a saloon, captain's cabin, dark room, laboratory and printing press, which was exhibited at Crystal Palace. A friend of Jules Verne, Nadar was the inspiration for Verne's Five weeks in a balloon.

balloon 8

M. Petin’s ‘system of aerial navigation’.

Subtly hand tinted (by an early hand)  wood engraving published in the Illustrated London News Sept. 21 1850. Image size inc. letters. 4 7/8 x 8 7/8”  (12.4 x 22.5 cm)

Ref. DGL B8/-/ l.andr >DAL SOLD

With original descriptive text of the lever, the fulcrum and the inclined plane being the principles of his 162 ½ yards x 70 ½ yards flying creation.

balloon 10

The ascent of Bell’s Aerial machine from Vauxall Gardens.

Subtly hand tinted (by an early hand)  wood engraving published in the Illustrated London News July 27 1850. Image size inc. letters. 6 x 5 ½  ”  (15.2 x14 cm) 

Ref. DGL B10 /-/ l.andr >DAL SOLD

With original detailed descriptive text. “after a long and wearisome preparation of the apparatus which was to effect the ‘locomotion’ the balloon ascended in the presence of a considerable number of spectators." It was 50’ x 20’ carbureted hydrogen balloon with a screw propeller and a bird like tail, capable of sustaining a weight of 500-600 lbs.

Click here for printing technique
Shown are the original images.  Reproductions are available upon request

 Shown are the original images.  Reproductions are available upon request

balloon 11

[Bell’s Aerial machine.]

Subtly hand tinted (by an early hand)  wood engraving published in the Illustrated London News July 27 1850. Image size inc. letters. 1 5/8 x 2 7/8” ( 4.1 x 7.3 cm)

Ref. DGL B 11/-/ l.andr >DAL SOLD

 

balloon 12

Giffard’s Balloon 1852.

Subtly hand tinted (by an early hand) wood engravings published in the Canadian Illustrated News March. 23 1872. Image size inc. letters. 4 ¼ x  x 5 ¼  ”  (10.8 x13.3 cm) 

Ref. DGL B12 /-/ l.andr >DEL SOLD

With original detailed descriptive text. Henry Giffard made his ascent from Paris 24 Sept.1852 in his 144 ft. steam powered balloon

balloon 13

Dupuy de Lome’s  Balloon 1872

Subtly hand tinted (by an early hand) wood engravings published in the Canadian Illustrated News March. 23 1872. Image size inc. letters. 6 5/8 x 8 7/8” ( 16.8 x 22.6 cm)

Ref. DGL B 13/-/ l.andr >DEL SOLD

With original detailed descriptive text. Along with Henry Giffard ascent from Paris 24 Sept.1852, M. de Lome’s hydrogen pitch screw balloon seems to have been quite successful.

Click here for printing technique
 Shown are the original images.  Reproductions are available upon request

Shown are the original images.  Reproductions are available upon requestballoon 14
Ascent of M. Godard’s 'Montgolfier' Balloon from Cremorne Gardens.
Subtly hand tinted (by an early hand)  wood engraving published in the Illustrated London News July 30 1864.
 Image size inc. letters. 1: 6 x 5 ½  ”  (15.2 x14 cm)  2:1 5/8 x 2 7/8” ( 4.1 x 7.3 cm)     
Ref. DGL B14/-/ l.andr >DAL
With original detailed descriptive text. M. Eugène Godard’s hot air balloon ‘Eagle’ was huge: 117ft high, 95’9” in diameter weighing 4620 lbs. not much wonder then that its ascent caused several women to faint. Its swift inflation over that of gas-filled balloons seem to have won the day.

Born in France, Eugène Godard (1827 – 1890)  made his first ascension in 1847 under a paper hot air balloon of his own construction. This began a career in ballooning that took him to perform throughout Europe using hot air and hydrogen-filled balloons. He came to the United States in 1854 and 1856 for a series of ascensions. At least twice he mounted a horse carried on a platform under the balloon basket in flight. He also performed gymnastic exercises on a trapeze similarly suspended. Godard extended his 1856 tour to Canada. At that point in time, Montreal had seen ballooning attempts, but none of them successful in lifting an aeronaut. On September 8, 1856, Godard made the first free balloon ascension in the province of Quebec.

Click here for printing technique

Shown are the original images.  Reproductions are available upon request

Shown are the original images.  Reproductions are available upon request

balloon 9

England. The accident to M. de Groof, the flying man.

Subtly hand tinted (by an early hand)  wood engraving published in the Canadian Illustrated News Aug. 22 1874.
 Image size inc. letters. 12 7/8 x 8 ¾ ”  (32.7 x 22.2 cm)       Ref. DGL B9/-/ l.andr >ANN

 Depicted in such a precarious position, an inquiring mind might well seek after the fate of M. de Groof !
In 1874, Cremorne Gardens were faced with a tragedy. Flights had always been a large part of the entertainment on display at the Gardens, and initially the flight of Vincent de Groof, the ‘Flying Man’, or ‘l’homme Volant’ in July 1874, seemed to be no exception.

Monsieur de Groof had developed a flying machine or 'Ornithopter' which attempted to emulate the flight of birds, with moving wings. The machine would be raised by a balloon, and then let loose to fly safely to the ground. As he began his ascent, de Groof was confident. As he got higher, however, he requested that the balloonist lower him a little. Realizing that he had to cut loose, or meet with a church tower, de Groof cut his machine loose from the balloon, and fell 80 feet to his death. His obituary appeared in the Daily Telegraph on July 3 1874.

Click here for printing technique

Shown are the original images.  Reproductions are available upon request