La course des Montagnes Russes a Paris, 1817 (hand coloured etching on paper)

Artist: Adrien Godefroy (1777-1865) (engraver) "The roller coaster race in Paris". 'The `Russian Mountain' was an early version of helter-skelter introduced in Paris in 1812 and was a major attraction. Published by Aaron Martinet (1762-1841). Adrien Godefroy (1777-1865) (engraver) was the son of François (1743-1819), with whom he worked, supplying the etched foundations over which his father engraved. The two men continued to live at the same address at least until 1817. Adrien worked as an occasional caricaturist before 1810, but most of his plates were made between 1814 and 1817, and were published by Martinet in three main series, including Nos. 23-30 of the Suprême Bon Ton between July 1814 and March 1817. The idea of a roller coaster began in St. Petersburg, Russia, in the 18th century; the snow-covered constructions were built in Russia for sledding but these examples used cars running on rails. By the early 19th century had spread to European capitals and in 1812 a Company called Les Montagnes Russes constructed some in the Belleville district of Paris.