Off on a Comet by Jules Verne: Solitary Figure in a Cluttered Cave, illustrated by Paul Philippoteaux, 1877

This engraving from Jules Verne's Off on a Comet (Hector Servadac) depicts a lone, disheveled figure hunched over a candlelit table within a cramped, rough-hewn cave or dwelling, surrounded by jars, sacks, and makeshift shelving. Engraved by Laplante after Paul Philippoteaux's original artwork for the Hetzel edition, the scene's dense cross-hatching and dramatic candlelight evoke isolation and quiet obsession, characteristic of the novel's depiction of stranded characters improvising survival on a fragment of Earth flung into space.