vintage and contemporary postcards and stamps from around the world


11 April 2021

air mail

There was a time when the post travelled by balloon

In 1955 France issued a stamp to commemorate 85 years of airmail service. 

In 1870 during the Siege of Paris a balloon could fly higher than the range of enemy rifles thus allowing Gaston Tissandier, a chemist and ballooning pioneer, to deliver 175 lbs of mail. There is an English translation of his writing of the flight and efforts to deliver 30,000 letters from the people of Paris.



for Sunday Stamps - air travel

7 comments:

Joy said...

I like the full mailbags. No return flights!
My flights are rather more sedate here

Mail Adventures said...

This is a great stamp. I have read the story, it's amazing.

I found some vintage planes, see here,

Bob Scotney said...

The nearest I've been to one of these was the one that crash landed in my daughter's property. Until then I thought it was a leisurely way to fly. Fine stamp.

violet s said...

I've always thought I'd like to go up in one - which is odd as I am afraid of heights.

viridian said...

My entry is here:
http://viridianpostcard.blogspot.com/2021/04/sunday-stamps-air-travel.html

Ana said...

That was a very interesting story to read and who would have thought that an air-balloon would "outsmart" all those bullets! Great stamp for today!

I've never been close to one, but it is the main attraction for visitors of Cappadocia in Turkey (and not a very cheap one, but it is a rare opportunity :))
Still haven't been there, hopefully one day.

My plane stamps are here

violet s said...

I would so happily go there with you! (may have to win a lottery just to even get there, never mind going up in one of them!)