Future Sky Cop, 2000 (from 1882)

JF Ptak Science Books    Quick Post

[Image source: Library of Congress, here.]

Albert Robida (1848-1926) imagined many things in his long and illustrative career, seeing deep into the futures that would/didn't come to be. Perhaps this one is nearly coming true but in a different format--his imagination 1882 inspiration of what the future of air traffic would be like attending the Paris Opera  ("Le Sortie de l'opéra en l'an 2000") might seem more prescient of the view was in 2030 and the taxi cabs and other air chariots were drones instead.  In this version of the future there are restaurants and limos and buses and private air vehicles galore, all anthropomorphically cluttering the environment 1500' above the city-center of it all though is a blue centurion, riding a futuristic Electra Glide, a helmeted cop on a small and sleek vehicle, right in the center of the sheet. 

Comments

[Ray Girvan]

At this magnification, the image is slightly disturbing; it looks as if the sky cop is wearing a fetishy costume with thigh-length boots and no pants. The LOC maximum-sized image shows it's probably some kind of tunic, though it still looks like pink shorts.

[John F. Ptak]

Part of the problem with representing the future that is also populated with humans means that the humans need to be clothed in a futuristic way. It is probably the weakest link in picturing the future, much like drawing hands and faces on modern patent applications--it just seems as though it can't be done. People would probably be a little smarter if they did clothing the way "artists" like myself draw hands--by having the subject standing with their hands behind their backs. So I would suggest that in the future that people depicting the future should either leave people out of the equation or have them wear simple tunics. Regarding the cop: sometimes we see what we want to see, but I think what you see is what we're all seeing. And yes it makes you wonder exactly what sort of copper he is... ;-)