1862 - The Intrepid
Posted by Clicksy | Posted in Wiggle Animations | Posted on 10-09-2010
Tagged Under : 1800s, abe lincoln, aeronaut, animation, army, balloon, civil war, corps, coulincourt, field, history, illusions, lincoln, lowe, photograph, sobieski, stereo card, stereoscopic, stereoscopy, thaddeus, thaddeus SC lowe, union, union army, vintage, wiggle
May 31, 1862 - Fair Oaks, Va. Prof. Thaddeus S. Lowe observing the battle from his balloon "Intrepid"
Thaddeus Sobieski Coulincourt Lowe was appointed Chief Aeronaut of the Union Army Balloon Corps in 1861 by Abe Lincoln. The year after the above photo was taken, Thaddeus resigned because of disputes over his operations and pay.
Following his stint in the war, he spent time on his inventions, creating an ice making machine and a water gas process which produced hydrogen gas from charcoal and steam. His patents and inventions made him a millionaire. In 1887 he moved to L.A. building a 24,000 square foot mansion, and opening several ice making plants and even a bank. In 1891 he opened a railroad company which was initially successful but became costly and he lost the company. He died at 81 having lost his fortunes, living in his daughter’s home in Pasadena. Click to read more about him at wikipedia.
Download the original stereo card at the LOC website here.
