Japanese scene with one man ascending with a balloon and another man descending in a parachute

Japanese woodcut print of a humorous scene with a man ascending with a balloon and throwing pieces of paper on a man on the ground. A man in the background is descending with a parachute. The Japanese text identifies the aeronaut as "Spencer," almost certainly a reference to Percival Spencer (November 11, 1864-April 11, 1913), a British balloonist and parachutist who toured Asia in the late 19th century. Spencer was part of the third generation of a family of professional balloonists. He was the eldest son of Charles Green Spencer (1837–1880), who was the son of Edward Spencer (1799–1849). Edward Spencer, a solicitor, was a friend and trusted assistant of the noted balloonist Charles Green. Charles Spencer founded the balloon manufacturing firm of C. G. Spencer & Sons. Percival's siblings also followed the family profession. He and his brothers Arthur (1866–1940) and Stanley (1868–1906) were considered the leading authorities on ballooning.