GUESSES AT FUTURITY (1894-1895) ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION

GUESSES AT FUTURITY – This was a series of nine full-page illustrations by THE Frederick Thomas Jane, the man behind the Jane’s manuals. He devoted as much attention to detail here as he would go on to do in illustrations of military hardware in later years.

The series ran in Pall Mall Magazine from October of 1894 to June of 1895 and presented a speculative look at life in the year 2000 A.D.

I. HOME LIFE IN ANNO DOMINI 2000 (October 1894) – Jane depicted Brits of the “future” living in homes with very high ceilings. The interior decoration is decidedly eclectic while the wardrobe of these Brits is a kind of retro revival of Medieval clothing.

        The people watch a large picture screen on which images appear. Those images depict people garbed like Jane’s contemporaries in 1890s England. Phonograph horns provide the sound for this Entertainment Center of the Year 2000. A wheel of sorts in the wall seems to bring up menus of options, possibly for controlling the sound and the images (channels?) on the screen.

II. THE HOUSETOP GARDEN (November 1894) – Ramps and stairways lead to a flat rooftop on which stands a glass-domed garden/ park of palm trees and other plant life. Presumably the domed rooftop is temperature-controlled. The building has multiple interior levels.  

III. STREETLIGHTING ANNO DOMINI 2000 (December 1894) – In streets lined with Far Eastern styled buildings standing side-by-side with typical London buildings and landmarks, Jane offered his odd ideas of futuristic street illumination.

           We are shown literal hot air balloons tethered to tall buildings. The underside of each balloon is a large spotlight, brightening the metropolis below.

IV. COURTYARD TO MANSION (January 1895) – The inner courtyard to a palatial home is under a glass dome like the above rooftop park/ garden. More palm trees abound along with other exotic botanical specimens from around the world.

           At the very center of the courtyard is a pool with a fountain. The fountain features idealized sculptures of human anatomy rising toward the sky. 

V. SUN RADIATORS (February 1895) – This illustration gives us a quasi-pyramidal structure with a few large discs aimed at it. Presumably the discs are the radiators referred to. They resemble our modern-day satellite dishes and seem to be solar energy collectors which provide energy for the building.

VI. INTERPLANETARY COMMUNICATION: THE FIRST MAGNETISCOPE (March 1895) – A vessel shaped like a VERY fat cigar is shown defying gravity in the sky above extensive fields. The vessel has rods sticking out of it, which made me think of our first satellites in the 1950s but not round.

            The “magnetiscope” apparently accommodates communication between Earth and other planets. The device is staffed by human workers.

VII. GOLD MINING IN THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON (April 1895) – Well, in this case the literal Mountains of the Moon, not the similarly named geographical features in Africa. Mining installations that are very much in the 19th Century style are depicted amid the moonscape.

           Another magnetiscope is hovering in the sky above the mining complex, plus the Earth itself is seen overhead.

VIII. A DINNER PARTY A.D. 2000: MENU OF CHEMICAL FOOD (May 1895) – We see what seems to be an Egyptian-themed costume dinner party in a lavish setting of classical architecture. Food service staff move among the guests, carrying trays of pills which are apparently the chemical food Jane referred to in the title.

IX. STREET IN THE CITY OF THE FUTURE (June 1895) – An overhead look at elaborate architecture of the “future” along with multiple levels for pedestrian and horseless omnibus traffic. A few palm trees can be seen here and there.

           Some may argue that this particular illustration doesn’t count as sci-fi, but it certainly resembles the actual year 2000 more accurately than all the others.   

Not the greatest nor most inventive vision of futurism, but the artist’s later career makes these illustrations of particular interest. I would have loved to see more depictions of what Jane felt the future might hold.  

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