Interior of Le Géant Inflating 1863

"Interior of Le Géant Inflating" is a 1863 photograph taken by the French photographer Nadar, also known as Félix Tournachon. This picture depicts the interior of a hot air balloon called Le Géant, which was a massive balloon, at the time, used by Nadar to take aerial photographs of Paris. This image, captured from a low vantage point, highlights the vastness of the balloon's interior with the fabric of the balloon stretching upward towards the sky. The texture of the balloon material is rendered in detail, providing a sense of the balloon's scale and the technical achievement of its construction. This photograph is a testament to Nadar's groundbreaking work as a pioneer in aerial photography.