Library — 1837-07
The Ascent of the Nassau Balloon, with the parachute attached, 24 July 1837 from Vauxhall Gardens
This print shows an example of the ballooning craze at Vauxhall which had become a regular feature in the 1830s. They were extremely popular.
One enthusiast Robert Cocking (1776-1837) designed a parachute to hang underneath the balloon to stop it swaying and this was tested on 24 July 1837. Cocking sat in the parachute with two others in the basket above him.When Cocking decided to release the parachute the balloon became much lighter and climbed to 23,000 ft.while the parachute crashed to the ground. Cocking died of his injuries. After the extensive press coverage of the incident , ironically ballooning at Vauxhall Gardens became even more popular.
- Category:
- Library
- Object ID:
- LIB20775/1(252)
- Object name:
- The Ascent of the Nassau Balloon, with the parachute attached, 24 July 1837 from Vauxhall Gardens
- Object type:
- Artist/Maker:
- Anonymous, -
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- 1837-07
- Material:
paper, ink
- Measurements/duration:
- H 220 mm, W 170 mm
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 60%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
General library collection
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.