Page 34 - Delcampe Collections classiques EN-005

Stamps

A reason to smile

Introduction ly known as ballons montés (balloons
The history of newspaper cancel with pilot), were very effective to get
lations [1] is one of a facility granted to through enemy lines. The aerostat tech-
printers to respond to growing reader nology developed by the Montgolfier
demand, to pay taxes due (fiscal and brothers in the 18th century made it
postal) and to enable just-in-time deli- easy to gain altitude by dropping part
very. Printers had to include the stamp of the ballast on board on departure. It
on the first, white page, of the news- was also possible to control the des-
paper then print the paper, which can- cent by dropping a rope to the ground
1
celled the stamp typographically. in the hope that someone could take a
Collectors take pleasure in spending hold of it to anchor the balloon.
time understanding the past life of the The immediate outcome of this rudi-
objects in their collection. mentary technology was that it was
In this article, by reading 19th century impossible to steer an aerostat and the
newspapers, which are at the heart of wind alone decided on the direction the
a newspaper cancellation collection, balloon would take. That being said,
we want to entertain you and have you French creativity was not under siege
share the point of view of Antoine de and people proposed innovative ideas
Saint-Exupéry, who said: “A smile is to steer the aerostats.
often the most essential thing. One is We’ve reproduced an excerpt from the
repaid by a smile. One is rewarded by Journal de Villefranche of Thursday, 8
a smile.” December 1870 [2]. Paris is under sie-
ge and it is said that “satisfactory expe-
Aerostats can finally be manoeuvred: riments have been carried out with the
putting “beefsteak” to good use... Jardin-des-Plantes’ eagles
The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 attached to a basket. The experiments
broke out on 19 July 1870 and ended were carried out in the presence of Mr
with the capitulation of Napoleon III in Rampont, the managing director of the
September, with the defeat of France, post office, Mr Chassinat, head of the
then the loss of Alsace-Lorraine, when Seine department, and Mr Mattet, prin-
the Treaty of Versailles was signed cipal collector. Four or six strong birds
on 26 February 1871. The siege of were fastened to the balloon. They
Paris from 19 September 1870 to 28 were directed by an aeronaut using a
January 1871 was one of the signifi- piece of raw meat attached to a long
cant events of the war. stick held in front of them: the vora-
Parisians were under siege and had to cious birds tried, in vain, to reach the
communicate with the rest of the com- meat but it continued to move ahead
pany. Aerostats, gas balloons common- of them. When the aeronaut wished

34 Delcampe Magazine