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Ad Code: 4
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from Auction House Records.
Book Illustration of Balloon Flight
Artwork images are copyright of the artist or assignee
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This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  Prominent in France as an architect, aviator, illustrator and archaeologist, Albert Tissandier trained as an architect at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. He became one of only a few 19th century foreign artists to visit the United States whose works can be found in published form.
In France, he illustrated several volumes written by his brother, Gaston Tissandier, on ballooning. He also collaborated with him on writing and publishing a scientific journal, La Nature, whose purpose was to make scientific subjects accessible to the general public. In 1868, Tissandier made his first ascent in a hot air balloon, and continued to be devoted to aeronautics. During the Franco-Prussian War, 1870, he piloted balloons to deliver mail outside the city of Paris, and for this bravery won the Medaille Militaire. In October 1870, he escaped Paris and the war in a balloon, taking other persons with him.
As a balloonist, he did many drawings from the air, and in the mid 1870s, he reached the record-breaking height of 23,000 feet. Several of his companions died of asphyxiation from this venture, which left him with partial deafness. In 1881, he and his brother attached an electric motor to a dirigible, which became the world's first electric powered flight.
Albert Tissandier was a dedicated traveler, and in 1886, began a two-year trip around the world that included Ceylon, Asia, the East Indies and the United States. From these travels, he sent illustrations back for La Nature.
In America, he traveled from Pittsburgh across to the Grand Canyon. His purpose was to create a travel book on America, and for this purpose, he did pencil drawings including Hot Sulphur Springs and Old Faithful, the Yellowstone geyser that really impressed him. He kept a detailed diary of his travels, and this sightseeing journey resulted in several-hundred lithographic drawings for his book, Six Mois aux Etats Unis, published in 1886. In Arizona, he traveled north of the Colorado River and Grand Canyon including to the Mormon town of Pipe Springs.
In 1890, he began a two-year archaeological trip to India, Japan and China, and 1893 to 1894, he was in Cambodia and Java. With all of these travels, he continued his illustration activity.
Albert Tissandier died in 1906 at Jurancon, France.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Tissandier (Soruce is obituary by Jules Laffaruge from La Nature, September 15, 1906)
Jim Ballinger, Visitors to Arizona 1846 to 1980
Peter Hassrick, Drawn to Yellowstone |
| ** If you discover credit omissions or have additional information to add, please let us know at registrar@AskART.com. |
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