Aeroscopics: Media of the Bird’s-Eye View

In 1900, Paris had no tourist helicopters, no skyscrapers, no drones; and yet, visitors to the city had many opportunities for a bird’s-eye view. They could ride on a tethered balloon or rise to the pinnacle of the Eiffel Tower. They could visit a panorama painting depicting the view from Notre-Dame or take in a panstereorama, a model of the city built in miniature, replicating a balloon view. In short, there were countless aerial options available on ground level, well before aviation made such views widely accessible. In Aeroscopics, Patrick Ellis offers a history of the view from above, written from below. Premised upon extensive archival work and richly illustrated, this interdisciplinary study reveals the forgotten media that were available to the public in the Balloon Era and after. Ellis resurrects these neglected spectacles as aeroscopics, opening up new possibilities for the history of aerial vision.