First aviation exhibition in Britain, Crystal Palace, London, 1868.

Illustration showing the first exhibtion to deal with aeronautics in the UK, organised by the aeronautical Society, showing (in the rear) Stringfellow's triplane. John Stringfellow (1799-1883) was an English inventor who first became involved in aviation in 1843, when he designed a lightweight engine of 25-30 horsepower for William Samuel Henson's 'aerial Steam Carriage'. In 1868, Stringfellow designed the triplane, with its 'superposed' wings, shown in this illustration.