Albert Robida's Flying Cab No. 6703 Carrying Elegant Passengers, c.1890s

Drawn from Albert Robida's visionary future-satire 'Le Vingtième Siècle' or its sequel 'La Vie Électrique,' this extraordinary image depicts a numbered aerial cab — No. 6703 — streaking through cloudy skies, its glass passenger compartment sheltering two elegantly dressed women in Belle Époque finery. A torpedo-like prow cuts the atmosphere while a spinning propeller beneath provides lift. The mundane-made-miraculous: Parisian high society repackaged into the flying machine age with Robida's signature wit and ornate draftsmanship.