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Smithsonian sunburst Smithsonian National Postal Museum
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  • Folded letter from Paris office at Rue St. Lazare
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Folded letter from Paris office at Rue St. Lazare

Object Details

Description
This folded letter originated from the Paris office at Rue St. Lazare on January 23, 1871, (third collection) and was prepaid 20 centimes for the French internal letter rate to Agen, “Par Ballon Monté.” Based on the date and time of collection, it is most likely that this letter was carried out of Paris by the balloon Torricelli.
The Torricelli carried 230 kilograms of mail, and although the flight was uneventful, the balloon landed in occupied territory north of Paris. With the help of a local peasant, the pilot avoided the German troops and reached Abbeville in northern France with the mails. Because France was bisected by the German occupation at this time, the mail for southern France (including Agen) was carried by ship to Cherbourg, which accounts for the delayed arrival in Agen on January 31.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
January 23, 1871
Object number
0.260305.10.28.1
Type
Covers & Associated Letters
Medium
paper; ink
Dimensions
Other: 5.7 x 9.5cm (2 1/4 x 3 3/4in.)
Place
FRANCE (republic)
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
Topic
Floyd S. Leach Collection
Civil War and Reconstruction (1860-1877)
Covers & Letters
Record ID
npm_0.260305.10.28.1
Usage
Usage conditions apply
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm89db2e1c6-d41a-4af7-892a-cfd0f1247a01
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International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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HomeSmithsonian National Postal Museum

Visit »

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

street map of Postal museum

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