Henrique Alvim Corrêa's Martian Cylinder Landing, War of the Worlds 1906

Drawn directly from H.G. Wells' 'The War of the Worlds,' this haunting illustration by Brazilian master Henrique Alvim Corrêa depicts the smoldering Martian cylinder freshly embedded in the Woking sand-pits — the terrifying first contact that changes everything. Steam billows from the massive metallic disc as shattered rock fans outward from the impact crater. A ghostly, bulbous Martian form appears to rise from the open hatch, barely visible through the haze, conveying alien otherness with remarkable restraint.