A Thaddeus Lowe balloon named United States aloft at the corner of 6th Avenue and 59th Street, New York City, 1859. The balloon looks as though it is rising out of a temporary stadium with wooden bleachers. The address seems to put the event in Central Park or adjacent to it. The man that is visible in the balloon's basket might be Thaddeus Lowe himself. This is the earliest photograph that I have come across that undisputedly shows a balloon in flight. Animated stereoview.
