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Siege of Paris Mail
Folded letter from Paris suburb office of Bercy
Description:
This folded letter originated from the Paris suburb office of Bercy on December 6, 1870, (fifth collection) and was prepaid 20 centimes for the French internal letter rate to Niort, “Par Ballon Monté.” Based on the date of collection plus the Niort arrival datestamp of December 9, 1870, it is likely that this letter was carried out of Paris by the balloon Armée de Bretagne.
The Armée de Bretagne carried 400 kilograms of mail. Marred by bitterly cold weather, the flight experienced a crash landing that mortally injured the only passenger on board.
Date:
Paris/Bercy (collection) 6 December 1870
Niort (arrival) 9 December 1870
Date:
December 6, 1870
Markings:
“Par Ballon Monté” endorsement
20c Ceres (Sc 58) tied by the Gros Chiffre “445” lozenge
Medium:
paper; ink
Dimensions:
Height x Width: 2 1/4 x 4 1/2 in. (5.72 x 11.43 cm)
Museum ID:
0.260305.10.8.1
Place:
FRANCE (republic)
Collection:
