Jules Verne's Volcanic Apocalypse — Riou Engraving, c.1870s

Drawn from Jules Verne's adventure fiction — most likely 'The Mysterious Island' or 'Journey to the Center of the Earth' — this electrifying wood engraving captures a volcanic eruption of terrifying spectacle. Figures flee in silhouette across the foreground as incandescent lava rivers and explosive fire cascades down a mountainside into a smoke-choked night sky. The dramatic chiaroscuro technique, glowing white highlights against deep cross-hatched blacks, is quintessentially Édouard Riou's volcanic catastrophe style from Hetzel's landmark Verne editions.