Monument des Freres Farman

Monument commemorating Henri Farman and the Voisin brothers, pioneers of aviation who used the Plaine de l'Angelus as a landing field.

Description

Inaugurated in 1985, this monument on the Plaine de l'Angelus commemorates Henri Farman and aircraft builders Gabriel and Charles Voisin, pioneers of aviation who used these plains as a landing field. The inscription records Henri Farman's historic achievement on 13 January 1908: the first officially witnessed flight of one kilometre in a closed circuit, winning the Grand Prix d'Aviation Deutsch-Archdeacon. Farman was a regular visitor to Barbizon - in 1920 he personally suggested to the mayor of Barbizon that the Plaine de l'Angelus be developed as an official landing field. The same plain that inspired Millet's most famous painting became one of the earliest airfields in France.

Historical context

The same plain. First Millet's peasants bowed here over their potato harvest while the bell of Chailly rang across the fields. Then, sixty years later, Henri Farman landed his biplane on this grass, and suggested to the mayor that this open space - so long a canvas for painters - become a runway for the machines that would shrink the world. The Plaine de l'Angelus has always attracted people who saw possibility in open space. The painters saw light. The aviators saw lift. Both were right.

Historical research: grappilles.fr — Barbizon Histoire et Patrimoine

Related places

Additional locations in the Heritage Site group.

Heritage Site

Chapelle de Barbizon

The village chapel, converted from a barn belonging to Théodore Rousseau's house by his architect brother.

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Heritage Site

Forest Entry Bas Bréau

Main forest access point leading to the iconic Bas Bréau painting grounds.

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Heritage Site

Grande Rue

The main street of Barbizon, lined with galleries and historic facades.

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Nearby

Within reach on foot—village lanes and forest edge.

Bus Stop

38 m

Arret Bus -- 3 Poiriers

Bus stop at 3 Poiriers, north of the village near the plains.

Open-Air Museum

134 m

Plaine de l'Angelus - Site de la peinture

The exact field where Millet stood when painting his famous L'Angelus. Chailly church steeple visible on the horizon, just as in the painting.

Museum

506 m

Auberge Ganne

The historic inn where Barbizon School painters gathered in the 19th century.