Scope and Content Note
The papers of Henri Jacques Giffard (1825-1882) span the years 1852-1910 and contain correspondence, notes, design drawings, broadsides, newspapers, printed illustrations, articles about Giffard, and clippings. Giffard was a pioneer in the design of airships and is recognized by many as having devised the first steam-powered steerable airship in 1852. This collection of papers focuses primarily on his activities associated with the large captive balloon he exhibited in the courtyard of the Tuileries in Paris in 1878. Also included are Giffard's holograph notes on hydrogen gas and his design drawings for balloons. The material is in French.