Flying Human Balloon
- Date:
- May 1904
- Medium:
- Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 37.5 × 25.6 cm
- Source:
This May 1904 satirical print from Kiyochika's Russo-Japanese War series depicts a human figure suspended in a balloon over the battlefield — a commentary on the new technologies of reconnaissance and aerial observation that featured in the 1904–05 conflict. Kiyochika's satires frequently engaged with the technological novelties of modern warfare, translating them through the exaggerated visual language of Edo-period caricature. The balloon serves both as factual reference to wartime observation techniques and as absurdist comedic device.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Flying Human Balloon was created by Kobayashi Kiyochika (小林清親) in May 1904.
Flying Human Balloon depicts figures and warriors.
Flying Human Balloon measures 37.5 × 25.6 cm (Oban format).
