author
Henri Lachambre
1846–1904
A pioneer of ballooning in France, he built aircraft for explorers, militaries, and early aviation dreamers at a time when flight still felt daring and new. His work helped shape the adventurous world of late 19th-century aeronautics.
1 Audiobook
Andrée and His Balloon
by Henri Lachambre, Alexis Machuron
About the author
Born in Vagney, France, on December 30, 1846, Henri Lachambre became one of the best-known balloon makers of his era. He founded his aerostatic workshops in Vaugirard, near Paris, and earned a reputation for building a wide range of lighter-than-air craft, from gas balloons to dirigibles.
He was not only a manufacturer but also an active aeronaut, reportedly making hundreds of ascents himself. Lachambre supplied balloons to the U.S. Signal Corps and built the balloon used for S. A. Andrée’s 1897 Arctic expedition, a project that remains one of the most famous and tragic episodes in the history of exploration.
Lachambre also worked with Alberto Santos-Dumont, producing the airships that supported some of the Brazilian inventor's early experiments. He died in Paris on June 12, 1904, but his name remains closely tied to the bold, experimental age of balloon flight.