Scientists Examine Captured Martian Mechanism, Edison's Conquest of Mars

Two bearded scientists lean intently over a strange mechanical device retrieved from a Martian craft, laboratory jars and instruments cluttering the table before them. This crosshatched pen-and-ink illustration comes from Garrett P. Serviss's 1898 newspaper serial 'Edison's Conquest of Mars,' a sequel to H.G. Wells's War of the Worlds featuring Thomas Edison leading Earth's counterattack. The scene captures Victorian-era scientific fascination with reverse-engineering alien technology.