Sep 11, 2012
Flying cops and more — How the year 2000 was imagined in 1910 [20 pictures]
In a collection of postcards from The National Library of France, we see how one artist at least imagined life in the future. These images were created between 1899 and 1900 under the title EN L’AN 2000 — In the Year 2000…
Motorized Skates
Automated Barbering, Primping, and Tailoring
Horses as Unusual Curiosities
Electric Trains
Battle Cars and Motorcycles
Audio News
Audio and Video Messaging
Radium Heating
Electric Construction Equipment
Synthetic Food
Airships
Fly-thru Restaurants
Flying Policemen, Firemen, Cars, and Garden Parties
(via PaleoFuture)
Related: Fashion designers of the 1930s make predictions about fashion in 2000
* * * * *
I like this better. Double Zeppelin.
And yet still, the only people of note are wealthy, white folk.
What a dumb thing to say. It’s the future envisioned from the 1900′s France, why would anyone from that era and place think otherwise?
Not dumb at all.
The artist imagined that *only* technology would change in a century? I think these postcards are great, but it’s not dumb to point out one pretty huge limitation in how they imagine the future.
in fact, it appears two Asians are about to board the electric train…
I assumed the artist drew characters resembling his own family and friends. The people look similar in many of the pictures. It makes sense to draw descendants of his loved ones. If it was me, I’d have drawn my great-great grandchildren.
Isn’t “En L’An 2000” French for “In The Year 2000…”? If so, I fully support this post as a Conan/Andy fan.
Radium Heating FTW!!!
They really weren’t too far off on a lot of those!
Oddly enough, they did not predict the change in fashion.