Commented photograph of a flight by Santos Dumont (1904)

"Santos on top of the military parade on July 14, 1904."

Handwritten letter from Louis Bereau to Albert Tissandier, with period photograph in postcard format and text about Alberto Santos Dumont. July or August 1904, Paris. 14cm x 9cm. In French. Excellent condition. Single piece.

We often wonder who invented the airplane. The Wright brothers, say the Americans. The French speak of Clément Ader. Brazilians claim it was Santos Dumont. In reality, like most great inventions, there is not a single inventor but several people who thought, experimented, failed and conquered small victories so that finally - one day - the dream became reality. The same goes for the invention of the automobile, the telephone, the internet, the conquest of space, etc.

This is precisely what the document I am presenting today talks about. The kind of rarity I love to discover. It is a vibrant testament to this time, the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when many enthusiasts, both amateurs and professionals, were interested in man's oldest dream: to fly. Mainly in Europe and America.

Louis Bereau , the author of this letter, was well known in the aeronautical world. An influential person who frequented and supported most aviation adventurers. He had already made many flights in balloons and had an impressive collection of objects related to this subject that so inspired the inventors. And in 1900, he was asked by France to present the collection at the Universal Exhibition in Paris.

Albert Tissandier, was the brother of Gaston Tissandier, and uncle of Paul Tissandier, who I have already presented here in other documents. The Tissandier family was famous and decisive in the world of balloons and engines, and for Santos Dumont. They were passionate about mechanics and are responsible for a number of patents and records, including the World Airplane Speed ​​Record (Paul, May 25, 1909). Indeed, the pioneers of aviation were mechanics and became interested in the automobile, a recent invention. For example, the French brand Peugeot - which Brazilians know well - later financed the work of the Frenchman Etienne Oehmichen, who contributed largely to the invention of the helicopter with Breguet, Cornu, Pescara (a Spaniard) and others.

But the magic of rare documents is often in the details. It is once again the case here, with this little sentence written by Louis Bereau at the top, just above the photo:

"Santos (Dumont) on top of the military parade on July 14, 1904".

In fact, we see in this photograph, Santos Dumont on July 14, 1904, at what appears to be number 14, on the outskirts of Paris, in St. Cloud or Bagatelle, participating in the French national holiday, the day of the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution (July 14, 1789).

The history of Santos Dumont is linked to the 14th of July, the National Day of France. On July 14, 1903, for the first time in the world, a flying device took part in a military parade. And the author of the feat was Santos Dumont, with airship number 9, the most popular of his balloons.

One can imagine that Bereau , the Tissandiers, the French military, many important personalities, including the President of the Republic, as well as thousands of onlookers, would be there, elegant and with their heads held high, to admire the audacity of this little Brazilian. In the letter, Bereau adds that his health was not good and, in fact, he passed away just a few months later, without having seen Santos Dumont fly “for real”.