Ode to the aeronauts: Hot air ballooning exhibit opens at U-M’s Clements Library

June 9, 2026
Written By:
Isaac Burgdorf, William L. Clements Library
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‘Up, Up, and Away: A History of Ballooning in America,’ on view through Aug. 28, includes rare books, photos, postcards, advertisements and other historic records

The remarkable history of balloon flight reveals an era marked by daring innovation, outrageous public spectacle and breathtaking new ways of seeing the world.

“Up, Up, and Away: A History of Ballooning in America” introduces some of the earliest thrill-seeking aeronauts in the United States, including French inventor Jean-Pierre Blanchard whose 1793 ascension in Philadelphia was attended by George Washington. Meet the daredevils, scientists, entrepreneurs and photographers who helped establish ballooning as an integral part of American pop culture.

The third edition of Encyclopedia Britannica, published in 1797, was the first to include an article on “Aerostation,” the science of operating lighter-than-air aircraft. The accompanying illustrations include the scene of the Montgolfiers’ experimental ascension at Versailles, in which a sheep, a chicken, and a duck (all unharmed) were the first animals to experience balloon flight. Image courtesy: William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan.
Jean-Pierre Blanchard, the leading aeronaut in Europe, quickly generated a sensation upon his arrival in Philadelphia. His first balloon flight in America was chronicled in his book, Journal of My Forty-Fifth Ascension (1793). Image courtesy: William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan.
John Wise, who made over 400 balloon flights in his lifetime, published Through the Air: A Narrative of Forty Years’ Experience as an Aëronaut in 1873. Six years later, at the age of 71, Wise died during a balloon flight over Lake Michigan. Image courtesy: William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan.
As aeronautic performances gained popularity, the performers had to find ways to set themselves apart via advertising. This composite photograph advertises the performer Hazel Keyes, who conducted numerous parachute jumps out of hot air balloons, accompanied by her pet monkey. Image courtesy: William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan.

“The dream of flight, especially nonmotorized flight, is still something that’s really exciting to a lot of people,” said Paul Erickson, co-curator of the exhibit and the Randolph G. Adams Director of the Clements Library. “People still want to go up in balloons all the time.”

The 20th century witnessed a boom in the popularity and accessibility of this pastime, and Americans gather in the thousands to this day to celebrate and ride in hot air balloons.

Michigan’s primary hot air balloon event, Howell’s Michigan Challenge Balloonfest, is set for June 26-28.

My beautiful balloon

From the earliest flights of pioneering aeronauts, including a sheep, a chicken and a duck, the exhibition traces the technological and cultural evolution of balloon flight.

As ballooning progressed, so did the danger and drama surrounding it. The display highlights the fearless performers who captivated crowds with increasingly risky aerial stunts, turning balloon ascents into major public spectacles. Real-photo postcards featuring balloon ascensions show how such attractions were experienced by audiences in local towns across Michigan, at celebrations like Field Day in Carson City or the 4th of July in Hartford.

Letters written by professional aeronauts, such as E. Ashlock, on illustrated letterhead provide examples of the ways that they marketed themselves as acts for local fairs. Image courtesy: William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan.
Real-photo postcards featuring balloon ascensions show how such attractions were experienced by audiences in local towns across Michigan. In Grass Lake, an ascension has apparently gone awry, with black smoke pouring from a tear in the balloon. David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography. Image courtesy: William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan.
Real-photo postcard depicting 14-year-old Grant Meisell, dressed in sequined leotard and leggings, about to perform an ascent in South Boardman. David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography. Image courtesy: William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan.
Perhaps the least practical use of balloons in advertising was the practice of throwing cheap printed promotional sheets out of balloons while they were in the air, literally scattering one’s words to the wind. Image courtesy: William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan.
Balloons brought photographers and their cameras to new heights, and allowed them to capture images that vividly illustrated the dynamism of America’s growing cities. They also helped demonstrate the risks those cities faced from natural disasters like the 1906 earthquake and fire that devastated San Francisco. Image courtesy: William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan.
Balloons brought photographers and their cameras to new heights, and allowed them to capture images that vividly illustrated the dynamism of America’s growing cities. They also helped demonstrate the risks those cities faced from natural disasters like the 1906 earthquake and fire that devastated San Francisco. Image courtesy: William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan.
Balloons were clearly good for business, since balloon imagery showed up absolutely everywhere. Trade cards–pieces of ephemeral illustrated advertising–used images of balloons to sell all kinds of goods, including shoes! Image courtesy: William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan.
Balloons were clearly good for business, since balloon imagery showed up absolutely everywhere. Trade cards–pieces of ephemeral illustrated advertising–used images of balloons to sell all kinds of goods, including shoes! Image courtesy: William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan.

The visual appeal of balloons led to a proliferation of printed advertisements, with industries unrelated to aviation borrowing balloon imagery to suggest innovation, adventure and modernity. Original trade cards—illustrated handbills tossed from the air—reveal how images of balloons were used to sell all kinds of goods, from boots and jewelry to a curious-sounding “meat extract.”

In the wake of the Civil War, combined technological advances in ballooning and photography meant that for the first time people were able to view landscapes, discern troop movements and assess damage from natural disasters like the 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco.

“Up, Up, and Away: A History of Ballooning in America” will be on display at the William L. Clements Library through Aug. 28. Visit the library noon-4 p.m. weekdays or view the exhibit online.

Located on the campus of the University of Michigan, the William L. Clements Library collects, preserves and makes available historical resources about the Americas, with particular strengths in 18th and 19th century American history. The mission is to collect and preserve primary sources, to make them available for research and to support and encourage scholarly investigation of our nation’s past.