Rural sports. Balloon hunting, Thomas Rowlandson

The balloon is drifting before the wind beyond the control of the aeronaut; a fair voyager is making a terrific descent with a parachute in the midst of a flock of birds ; from the top of a tall tower a gentleman is taking deliberate aim at the flying machine, probably with a view to bring it down by blowing a hole through the body of the balloon. In the foreground is shown the mishap of the balloon-hunters ; a stout old gentleman is endeavouring to drag his vehicle up hill ; his horse is shying and kicking ; a dog is barking at the animal's head, the shafts are snapped, and the trap is kicked over ; three fair riders are thrown out in picturesque confusion on the turf, and scattered with bottles and a bundle.
Courtesy of Boston Public Library

Thomas Rowlandson - English caricaturist of the 18th and early 19th centuries Britain, known for his humor, caricatures, satirical drawings, and watercolors, a popular artist in the Regency period in England.