The Perilous Situation of Major Mony, When He Fell into the Sea with His Balloon on the 23rd of July, 1785, Off the Coast of Yarmouth; Most Providentially Discovered and Taken Up by the Argus Sloop, After Having Remained in the Water During Five Hours
June 24, 1789
Medium
Mezzotint; second state of two
Dimensions
plate: 19 15/16 x 23 7/8 in. (50.7 x 60.7 cm) sheet: 21 1/4 x 25 9/16 in. (54 x 65 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Mary Oenslager Fund and A. Hyatt Mayor Purchase Fund, Marjorie Phelps Starr Bequest, 2010
Accession Number
2010.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 18th century, hot air ballooning captivated the public imagination as a daring symbol of human ambition and technological wonder. This dramatic mezzotint engraving captures a real-life mishap on July 23, 1785, when Major J. Moneyeted into the North Sea off Yarmouth England, after his balloon failed. Miraculously, he clung to his gondola for five hours before being spotted and rescued by the sloop *Argus*. Painted by Philip Reinagle, a noted British animal and landscape artist, and engraved by John Murphy, the print vividly dramatizes the chaos: turbulent waves, a sinking balloon, a...