R is for Robida

 

 

Albert Robida (1848-1926) was a French illustrator and writer who wrote about fantastical inventions of the future.

A satirist and prominent cultural figure in turn-of-the-century France, he is most widely celebrated as a pioneer of science fiction illustration.

Le vingtième siècle: la vie électrique
Albert Robida, 1848 – 1926
Paris: À la Librairie Illustrée, c. 1893
Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy

Robida’s lavishly illustrated second novel, Le vingtième siècle: la vie électrique, tells the story of an engaged couple and their encounters in the future world of 1955.

The convoluted plot is merely the vehicle for showcasing Robida’s imaginative predictions for social and technological change of the future.