Paintings reveal what people in 1900 thought the year 2000 would look like
Lots of the ideas involve mechanized devices and flying while others, strangely, involve people interacting with marine life
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-8.jpg)
Your support helps us to tell the story
In my reporting on women's reproductive rights, I've witnessed the critical role that independent journalism plays in protecting freedoms and informing the public.
Your support allows us to keep these vital issues in the spotlight. Without your help, we wouldn't be able to fight for truth and justice.
Every contribution ensures that we can continue to report on the stories that impact lives
![Head shot of Kelly Rissman](https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/support-us/kelly-rissman.png)
Kelly Rissman
US News Reporter
There are few things as fascinating as seeing what people in the past dreamed about the future.
"France in the Year 2000" is one example. The series of paintings, made by Jean-Marc Côté and other French artists in 1899, 1900, 1901 and 1910, shows artist depictions of what life might look like in the year 2000. The first series of images were printed and enclosed in cigarette and cigar boxes around the time of the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris, according to the Public Domain Review, then later turned into postcards.
Lots of their ideas involve mechanized devices, flying, or a combination of the two. Some, strangely, involve people interacting in a very close and personal way with marine life. As Open Culture points out, however, there are no images of space travel.
Some of the portraits are fantastic -- swashbucklers riding on giant seahorses, anyone? But others are actually surprisingly accurate visions of our current era, including farming machines, helicopters, and what looks like a precursor to the new robot vaccum, the iRobot Roomba vacuum:
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000.jpg)
There is something vaguely familiar about these visions of mechanized farming, for example:
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-1.jpg)
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-2.jpg)
Perhaps this is the precursor to the motorhome?
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-3.jpg)
However, some of the other machines didn't quite come to pass:
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-4.jpg)
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-5.jpg)
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-6.jpg)
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-7.jpg)
The series also features a great assortment of flying machines and devices, including a helicopter:
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-9.jpg)
One drawing features an airship, which were being used at the time, but fell out of favor after the Hindenburg disaster in 1937:
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-10.jpg)
The series imagines small winged planes or devices being used by cabbies, postmen, police, firemen and hunters:
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-11_0.jpg)
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-12.jpg)
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-13.jpg)
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-14.jpg)
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-15.jpg)
Here's their conception of a "war plane" and "war cars":
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-16.jpg)
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-17.jpg)
Strangely, the series also includes some fairly far-out examples of people cavorting with marine life:
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-18.jpg)
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-19.jpg)
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-20.jpg)
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-21.jpg)
And finally, the "Whale bus," which really ought to be a thing by now:
![France in the Year 2000](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/05/13/2000-22.jpg)
© Washington Post
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments