Collection of eight items relating to Louis-Francois Roux (1838-1921), a French architect and engineer who developed an early flying machine deemed a ‘steam mechanical bird.’ The group lot includes: three vintage photos, each approximately measuring 4.5 x 3.25, with one showing the bird-like machine resting on its rolling launch pad, and two others depicting the machine airborne, mere seconds after leaving the launch pad, with reverse of each dated either June 22 or July 2, 1904; a group of five untranslated letters in French, one TLS and four ALSs, each signed “F. Roux,” 15 total pages, with content relating to the progress of his mechanical bird; and a copy of the French monthly newsletter L’aeronaute from June 1904, 6 x 9.5, with pages 132 and 133 featuring a column by Roux. In overall very good to fine condition. Accompanied by a business card belong to Roux, and an original mailing envelope for the TLS.
The reasoning behind his invention, according to Roux: ‘The events of the siege of Paris 1870-71 had long made me think of the means of studying the investment of a place by the circulation in the air. The balloons always seemed to me a principle too random: their direction too difficult. A rather prolonged observation of the flight of birds made me conceive the idea that the realization of this mode of locomotion was not impossible, and I concentrated on the study of the means of achieving it, although it still seemed difficult to me.
As a result of studies, conferences, I decided to make a call for funds among my relations. A dozen friends answered my call and with what I could put funds, I gathered about 30.000F. In 1903, I had a device built. In 1904, I had it experimented by Lallemant, the young mechanic who had built it. These very interesting tests did not result in [success], but at least had the advantage of being done without accident of person.'
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