Our June speaker, Prof. George Ruso, gave us a truly fascinating presentation on "Landmarks of 19th century aerophilately". Prof. Ruso described the earliest attempts by man to fly and the gradual development of balloon flights. Among the many items on display were advertising covers showing the illustrated corner cards of balloonists and the first propaganda pamphlet dropped by balloon (during the Civil War). He also showed an illustrated lettersheet from England with a caricature of the Mulready lettersheet, showing the Queen in a balloon! Prof. Ruso certainly provided us with a great evening of entertainment and a good education on the early beginnings of aerophilately. Shown below is a selection of material presented at this meeting:
