Gas balloon wicker basket

Hydrogen gas balloon wicker basket, similar to the baskets used on the observation balloons used in the Sudan in 1885. Observers would be sent up in the tethered observation balloons to spy on the enemy and report movements of the enemy back to command on the ground. Observers would be expected to remain in the basket for many hours, through varying climatic conditions without parachutes. The balloons, made from goldbeater's skin (the processed outer membrane of the intestine of an animal, typically cattle, which is valued for its strength against tearing), would be winched up and down using steam winches connected to traction engines and transported in an inflated condition, with occasional topping up with hydrogen as required. The basket is padded to give a small degree of comfort.