Albert Robida’s Flying Advertising Machines

Illustration from Albert Robida’s science fiction novel Le Vingtième Siècle, or The Twentieth Century, from 1883. Robida shows a fictional flying machine meant to advertise mustard.

The above illustration was drawn by Albert Robida for his 1883 novel Le Vingtième Siècle, or The Twentieth Century. The novel describes a future vision for Paris in the 1950’s, focusing on technological advancements and how they affected the daily lives of Parisians. Here, he shows a pair of flying machines meant for advertising.

I love whimsical cartoons such as this, because they capture a mood without worrying about believability. Robida envisions a future where balloon-based machines float above the city, distributing advertising flyers for various products. The products shown here are mustard and cowboy boots. The mustard balloon says Mustard Moutarde Mustard, and is shaped like some type of fish. The machine features a cannon that fires out clouds of advertising flyers. The second balloon says Botte High Life and is shaped like a cowboy boot.

Robida’s vision is a light-hearted commentary on the tendency for advertising to seep into every aspect of our lives, as well as the intense interest in flight and air travel during his time. The result is an interesting window into the culture of Paris in the late nineteenth century, as well as a pair of quirky aerial contraptions that seem like something out of a dystopian Dr. Seuss book

Check out other posts about cartoons that deal with verticality here.