The Balloon — A Thought on French Heritage

I love writing my articles on Le Blog, and I am always looking for great new topics to share. Recently while perusing our many antique books on the shelves at our Houston Shop, one called out to me — Histoire de la Révolution Française by François-Auguste Mignet from 1836. Its hardcover spine caught my eye because I am in the middle of reading L’Histoire de France Pour Les Nuls (the French publication of the classic “For Dummies” line of topical books).

On a whim, I was curious if Monsieur Mignet’s tome included any illustrated prints, like in the Collector’s Edition of Victor Hugo set that I previously showcased, and it did! So while thumbing through the book and enjoying the handful of historical images within, there is one in particular that piqued my interest.

The print illustrates the French Revolutionary Army’s victorious 1794 Battle of Fleurus against Austria, and curiously enough, I noticed a floating balloon tethered to the battlefield below. Right away I knew I needed to learn everything about this fascinating scene.

In 1783, brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier launched the first successful hot air balloon in France. Public fascination exploded almost overnight, and “balloonomania” swept across the country, with demonstrations being held in town squares and gardens.

The Montgolfier Brothers even hosted a balloon lift at Versailles for King Lous XVI and the French Royal Family, as depicted in this 1783 vue d’optique print below.

It quickly transcended science and became part of the cultural zeitgeist — the balloon motif influenced decorative arts, fashion, and even children’s games.

The 1794 Battle of Fleurus saw the first application of flight reconnaissance in war, and the balloon depicted in the book is the L’Entrepenant. In fact, this historic scene was the subject of many period works of art at the time.

It was manned by La Compagnie d’Aérostiers, the world’s first military aviation unit, and during the battle, the Aérostiers from above could observe Austrian troop formations and artillery positioning. Using a series of signal flags and sliding their reports down ropes, they relayed this information in near real time to French commanders below. In Monsieur Mignet’s image, we can even observe the Compagnie soldiers manning L’Entrepenant’s tethered ropes back on ground level.

As we progress through the 1800s and into the early 20th century, the hot air balloon as an icon continued to influence all things French, including furniture making. Once I started down this rabbit hole of French ballooning history, I realized its historical presence is everywhere.

In fact, we recently sourced a beautiful set of Montgolfier Dining Chairs from the early 1900s in France. This lovely collection, named after the Montgolfier Brothers who invented the balloon, includes 6 side chairs and 2 armchairs, and would absolutely add French flair to any dining table.

Even today, the hot air balloon as an icon of French heritage continues to be present in the cultural language of France. Look no further than the amazing balloon tethered above the Tuileries in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympics!

And so, in our recent endeavor of rebranding Jardin de France, it only made sense that we honored the heritage of the French hot air balloon. For us, it represents our dream of transporting you to France the moment you step into the shop. Presenting, our new logo!

Thank you for traveling this historic French timeline with me into the clouds. It brings me so much joy that folks actually read what I love writing. Until next time, à bientôt! –Nico