En L'An 2000: French Chromolithograph Flying Futures, 1910 Series 1
At the dawn of powered flight, France buzzed with aeronautical optimism — and these six chromolithographs capture that giddy fever perfectly. The 'En L'An 2000' series imagines the year 2000 as a world conquered by personal flying machines: a rural postman delivering mail by glider, a Parisian omnibus-plane stopping at the Louvre, aerial regattas, and couples picnicking on flying canoes. Charming and prescient, they reflect Belle Époque faith in technology as democratic liberation rather than menace.
Delightfully whimsical rather than lurid, these cards radiate gentle Edwardian optimism without melodrama or menace. The imagination is inventive but the tone is domestic and comedic — pulp lite, more Punch than Amazing Stories.
“EN L'AN 2000 Le Facteur Rural. Une Méprise fâcheuse. Une Périssoire aérienne. Station d'Aéro-Cabs. Pilot ! Arrêtez-nous au Louvre. Les Régates aériennes. 1re SÉRIE Dépôt Légal 1910 LITHOGRAPHIE BOILLAND & D... 70 27 rue de la Glacière 70 PARIS ROUGE”
