An Airport on top of Notre Dame

Illustration from Albert Robida’s science fiction novel Le Vingtième Siècle, or The Twentieth Century, from 1883. Robida shows an airport built atop the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Meant to dock various airships that fill the city skies.

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 would affect the daily lives of Parisians. Here he shows an elaborate transit station built atop the bell towers of the Notre Dame Cathedral. It’s a wonderfully ambitious idea, and it represents modernity overtaking history.

The station seems to function as an island, with no means of travel down to the cathedral. Passengers would alight from dirigibles and dine in a two-story restaurant and café. There also appears to be an observation deck on the roof, complete with telescopes and a ship’s mast. It’s quite similar to another of Robida’s illustrations showing an aerial station atop a Parisian Gothic landmark. I love the liberties Robida is taking here, as well as the irreverence for the cathedral itself. This isn’t a concept meant to be taken seriously, and I suspect Robida’s making a statement on the lack of respect given to the city’s history through it’s modern constructions.

Check out other cartoons dealing with verticality here.