Tom Lydon: Thaddeus Lowe

Artist: Tom Lydon
1944 -
Nationality: American
Artwork Year: 1995
Image Size: 11.875 by 14.125 inches
Overall Size: 15.875 by 19.375 inches
Medium: Mixed Media on Cold Press Illustration Board

"I ascended to the height desired and remained there, keeping the wires hot with information. As I reported the movements of the Confederates, the Union troops were maneuvering to offset their plans." So wrote American aeronaut and inventor Thaddeus Lowe who, during the Civil War, became chief of the Union Army's aeronautic section. Employing three hot-air balloons to survey enemy operations, Lowe's U.S. Balloon Corps became a valuable source for reconnaissance and artillery spotting. The largest of the balloons -- the Intrepid -- measured 38 feet wide by 45 feet high. And its inflation took nearly three hours. Yet, once filled to its full dimensions, the balloon could ascend 300 feet off the ground. At this altitude Lowe and other surveyors enjoyed a field of view measuring about 15 miles around. When battle lines were stable, intelligence gathering was performed at a leisurely pace while engineers made aerial sketches for precisely-scaled maps. When time was critical, information was relayed by telegraph. After the war, Lowe worked on refrigeration techniques as well as on improvements in the manufacture of gas and coke. From 1891 to 1894 he turned to railroad building. After constructing a railway to scale a peak in California's Sierra Madres -- appropriately named Mt. Lowe -- he later maintained an observatory at the lofty site.

This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood® First Day Cover for the U.S. 50¢ Aeorgramme issued September 23, 1995.

Artwork Copyright © 1995 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB14980

US$ Price: $2,000.00

Easy Purchase Plan: Buy this ArtworkOriginal with 8 monthly payments. Shipping and handling will be added to the first payment. Payments will be charged automatically as due to your Credit Card.

How to buy Original Artwork:

If you would like to buy Original Artwork, there are several convenient ways:

Use The Artwork Gallery: simply click the "Hang in Gallery" for pictures of interest. This puts the picture in your Personal Artwork Gallery, where you can view or remove it. When you've finished hanging artwork in your Personal Artwork Gallery, Go to your Personal Artwork Gallery and select an option for contacting us or ordering from us from there.

To get in touch with us directly about a piece of Artwork by Phone note the SKU and dial TOLL FREE 1-800-443-4225 from throughout U.S. and Canada.