Nadar and his two deputies, the ballooning brothers Jules and Louis Godard, carried 12 eager passengers on Le Géant‘s much-publicized maiden voyage on October 4.

Félix Nadar is a legend in his native France. A tall, exuberant red-haired dynamo with a fascination for fame, he came to know everyone who was anyone in his career as a journalist and caricaturist.

The Fiery Nadar Took Paris’ Pulse A self-styled bohemian of the mid-19th century, the young photographer captured the spirit of the time in portraits now on exhibit at the Met Julia Markus ...