Uncolored mezzotint of a portrait of John Wise (February 24, 1808 – September 28, 1879?). Shows him from the chest upwards in front of a generic outdoor background. The portrait was the frontispiece of Wise's book, "Through the Air."
By the 1850s, John Wise of Lancaster, Pennsylvania had emerged as the best known and most successful of the American aeronauts. Between his first flight from Philadelphia on April 30, 1835, and his disappearance during a flight in the fall of 1874, the nation’s senior airman completed 450 ascents. Like Charles Green, he was fascinated by meteorology, corresponding with Smithsonian Secretary Joseph Henry, the nation’s unofficial chief scientist, on topics ranging from weather phenomena to meteor showers. He was an innovator as well, introducing the ripping panel, a lightly stitched section of fabric that could be pulled loose to empty the envelope quickly upon landing.
"Engraved by T.B. Welch from a Daguerreotype by M.A. Root."