La Vie Electrique circa 1892

The illustrator and author, Albert Robida was an illustrator, etcher, lithographer, caricaturist, and novelist. He was born in Compiègne, France, the son of a carpenter. He studied to become a notary, but was more interested in caricature. In 1866 he joined Journal Amusant as an illustrator. In 1880, with Georges Decaux, he founded his own magazine La Caricature, which he edited for 12 years.

This title is part of a trilogy of futuristic works. He was a contemporary of Jules Verne and was often more daring in his work. He proposed inventions that were integrated into everyday life, not merely ones that were viewed as creations of mad scientists. He imagined social developments with great accuracy; the social advancement of women, mass tourism, pollution, etc.

This rare title was intended to follow "The Twentieth Century" even though the heros were different. The grand works of this title preceded other works by inventors and is particularly know for the idea of a telephonoscope which was an early concept of videophone and television. Under his usual mask of humor, Albert Robida clearly presents his apprehension of a future world dominated by a technology so very powerful, a technology that invited conflicts between countries and placed stress and pollution upon the people.

Item ID: MT121