Presa di Possesso – Illustration from Jules Verne's 'Around the Moon' (Italian Edition, 1870s)
Inside a cramped, chaotic compartment hurtling through space, a grotesque and grinning figure cradles a live rooster amid a jumble of cages, brooms, and mechanical apparatus. The scene is richly textured in fine engraving, capturing the absurd comedy of Jules Verne's lunar projectile crammed with livestock and supplies. A crescent moon glows faintly in the background, anchoring the madness firmly in the cosmos. This is proto-science-fiction illustration at its most theatrical.
A lunatic grinning in a moonbound cannonball with a live chicken — Verne's most underrated crew member has finally arrived! Equal parts scientific ambition and barnyard chaos.
“PRESA DI POSSESSO. 33 d'artifizio non avevano patito nulla. Siffatti arnesi, poderosamente caricati, dovevano servire a rallentare la caduta del projettile quando, dopo aver passato il punto d'attrazione 5”
