'A Balloon in Mid-Air' by Jules Tavernier, 1875

Quoting/paraphrasing from the References:

After leaving Nebraska, Tavernier journeyed through Utah and continued to San Francisco where he reconnected with Frenzeny. San Francisco society lauded the artists as celebrities, and the two were among the earliest illustrator-painters inducted into the newly formed Bohemian Club (est. 1872). On September 9, 1874, in front of a cheering crowd at the Gardens, they accepted the opportunity to ascend in Etienne Buislay’s hot-air balloon Sierra Nevada. The ascent was a disaster. The balloon crashed on takeoff into a roof and chimney, landing on an outhouse, and one of the occupants, a newspaper editor, suffered a broken arm. Undaunted, and with crowds in attendance, the two thrill-seeking artists later made a successful flight, although the balloon was blown over to the East Bay, in the company of Monsieur Buislay on October 4, 1874. The painting A Balloon in Mid-Air (1875) resulted from this experience.