Collier's Illustrated Future of 2001 (1901)

Today we have a follow-up to Monday's post about Arthur Palm, the 14-year-old from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who in 1901 made predictions about what the world of 2001 might look like.

The editors of the book Yesterday's Future: The Twentieth Century Begins (Voices of the Wisconsin Past) suggest that Arthur Palm's article in his school newspaper was taking many ideas about the future from the image above, which was printed in Collier's Weekly on January 12, 1901.

This seems quite likely given the specific mention of a sign reading, "Old People Restored to Youth by Electricity, While You Wait." In the upper left corner we can see a sign in the Collier's illustration reading, "Youth Restored by Electricity While You Wait." Palm also mentioned a "Manhattan Air Line" which is visible on a sign in the Collier's illustration as well.

See also:
The Predictions of a 14 Year Old (Milwaukee Excelsior, 1901)

Comments

[Charles]

I like the Babel Building in the background

[Anonymous]

I, too, noticed and chuckled over the 'Babel Building' - the artist obviously had a sense of humor! Great site!

[Cage]

He also stole "The Submarine Line" and “The Wireless Telephone Local and European” mentioned in “More Predictions of a 14-Year-Old” from that same picture. Little plagiarist.

[emdx]

Little nitpick... Back then, the term "Air Line" meant "direct route" rather than "by way of the air" nowadays. Several railroads used the name.

For example, a railroad was named "Seaboard Air Line" (it is now part of CSX) and ran from Richmond via Raleigh, North Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia to Jacksonville, Florida.

[Jimmy]

The Tower of Babel prediction was correct :

http://www.biblelight.net/tower-painting-parliament.jpg

[Pia]

What a beautiful Illustration and what a great blog!

Cheers from Oslo

[cr0sh]

Add some robots, a bit of rain, searchlights and huge advertisements, and you have Blade Runner 1901.