Aerial view near Providence, Rhode Island
Aerial view near Providence, Rhode Island

Currently not on view

Aerial view near Providence, Rhode Island,

1860

James Wallace Black, American, 1825–1896
x1979-116
To fulfill his desire to become the first American to photograph the country’s cities from the sky, Black formed a partnership with hot-air balloon pilot Samuel A. King in 1860. That year, as a passenger on King’s balloon Queen of the Air, Black produced the first aerial images of Providence, Rhode Island, and Boston, Massachusetts, where he later would document the city’s devastating fire of 1872 from the air.

Information

Title
Aerial view near Providence, Rhode Island
Dates

1860

Maker
James Wallace Black
Medium
Albumen print
Dimensions
25.8 x 20.2 cm. (10 3/16 x 7 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Robert O. Dougan Collection, gift of Warner Communications, Inc.
Object Number
x1979-116
Place Depicted

North America, United States, Rhode Island, near Providence

Culture
American
Type
albumen prints, black-and-white photographs, albumen process, photographs
Techniques
albumen process
Subject
balloons, bird's-eye views, aerial photographs

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