Albert Robida's 'La Sortie de l'Opéra en l'An 2000' — Paris of the Future
Executed in exuberant chromolithograph with Robida's signature dense, caricaturist line-work and pastel washes, this illustration bursts with satirical invention: Parisian high society departs the opera in a sky teeming with ornate personal airships, fish-shaped flying omnibuses, and streamlined aerial skiffs. Belle Époque fashion — top hats, bustled gowns, feathered hats — collides delightfully with retro-futurist flying machines, while a rooftop restaurant and the Eiffel Tower anchor the scene in unmistakably French futurism.
Robida packs an astonishing density of invention into every corner — dozens of unique aircraft designs, hundreds of costumed figures, and a sky so crowded it feels like rush hour over a fantastical Paris. Its satirical wit and sheer visual ambition make it a foundational masterpiece of illustrated futurism.
“LA SORTIE DE L'OPÉRA EN L'AN 2000. RESTAURANT. VILLE FONTAINEBLEAU”
