In 2006, for an exhibition celebrating Louis Vuitton’s iconic pieces, Andrée Putman offered a poetic reinterpretation of the legendary Steamer Bag. A descendant of the Montgolfier brothers, pioneers of hot air balloon flight, she transformed the bag into a gondola suspended from a hot air balloon — a visual metaphor for travel and discovery. Rendered in Putman’s signature sober and graphic style, the piece hovers between sea and sky, between the Maison’s heritage and aerial imagination. The installation invites viewers to see the Steamer Bag not only as a functional object but as a timeless symbol of movement and elegance.