Ville de Paris' airship, early 20th century

Ville de Paris' airship, early 20th century. Colour lithograph by Ernest Montaut. This airship was invented by the celebrated balloon designer Edouard Surcouf, constructed by Nacelle Construction and the Voisin Brothers, and flown by oil magnate Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe. The picture shows the airship flying over the countryside with an automobile and house in the foreground. Montaut and his wife, Marguerite (or Gamy), were the first artists to capture the Heroic Age of aviation and motor racing. The Gamy-Montaut prints were produced by the pochoir process, in which the outlines for each image were drawn onto lithographic stones and printed. The prints were then painstakingly coloured using individual colour stencils. She carried on producing pictures for Mabileau & Co after the death of her husband. ©SSPL/Science Museum