American Historical Ephemera & Early Photography Online

17 1/4 x 12 in. lithograph (image), framed to approx. 28 3/4 x 24 3/4 in. Title and publisher's information printed beneath image. A vibrantly colored depiction of a "California Mail Balloon via Nicaragua" carrying two men and cargo in its basket while hovering over the ocean above several other creative conveyance contraptions. Two men stand atop the balloon and have a short conversation: "How she reeks Jim," "Yes I feel very Sea sick Frank." Several other speech bubbles coming from other "passengers" include "No matter Joe, we'll take the Mail Contract to Heaven with us," "Oh! Barney the valve has got stuck and that Gas that Johnson inflated her with is so light that we will never be able to come down gain." "Well; this feat would frighten Blondin, to dance on such a slack rope with such uncertain fastenings - but I must keep my boats in this tow somehow and this is the only place they will give me," "I say Cornelius, if this tow line breaks Marshall will fail," and others.

The illustration provides commentary on the rush to California, satirizing the competition for mail delivery contracts. Various technologies emerged to make mail carrying quicker and more efficient including steam ships and even a hot air balloon. Some of the "ships" featured here are clearly impossible inventions, likely poking fun at the ridiculous nature of the rush to come up with new methods of conveyance.