Off on a Comet — Jules Verne 'Hector Servadac' Cavern Council Scene Engraving 1870s

This wood engraving illustrates a scene from Jules Verne's Hector Servadac (Off on a Comet), depicting a group of uniformed officers gathered in a rocky, cavernous chamber outfitted with salvaged furnishings and ornate décor. One figure reads intently while others confer over a covered table, with bats flitting in the dark recesses above. The scene reflects the novel's premise of survivors adapting Earthly comforts to their strange new world after being swept into space aboard a fragment of the comet Gallia.