Gaunt Martian Figure Emerges in Smoke — H.G. Wells War of the Worlds 1906

Appearing on page 214 of the 1906 French edition of H.G. Wells' 'La Guerre des Mondes' (The War of the Worlds), this haunting pen-and-ink drawing depicts a gaunt, shrouded Martian figure pressing against a stone pillar amid billowing clouds of smoke or vapor. The elongated, skeletal hand and flowing drapery suggest an alien biology barely concealed, evoking dread through suggestion rather than spectacle — a masterclass in early science fiction horror illustration.