Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues: Aronnax Discovers Atlantis, de Neuville & Riou

Remarkably atmospheric for a Victorian scientific novel, this engraving depicts Captain Nemo dramatically gesturing toward a luminous submerged cityscape — the lost continent of Atlantis — as seen from a cave opening on the ocean floor. Two cloaked figures observe the ghostly ruins of towers and archways bathed in an unearthly glow. An open book lies discarded on the cave floor, perhaps symbolic of human knowledge rendered obsolete by this staggering discovery. The fine cross-hatching technique creates extraordinary depth and otherworldly light.