Happy Birthday to Jules Verne, Father of Steampunk

Happy birthday to Jules Verne, born 185 years ago today, on February 8th, 1828. Verne was a French science fiction author, most famous for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. His imagination ran just as deep, and throughout his career he contributed immeasurably to the genre of science fiction. He is often called the father of science fiction, and on a more specific level, the father of Steampunk, a style which borrows heavily from Verne’s aesthetic.

You can read more about Jules Verne on our collectible Jules Verne feature. A fantastic unique find on the site is this autographed photograph of Jules Verne (pictured at top). It was presented by Verne to the Prefect of Rome, the Marquis Gravina – in 1884 Verne published a poem titled “Au Marquis Gravina, Rome”. Verne had been invited in 1883 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the birth of Italian painter Raphael (1483-1520) and it was likely on this occasion that Verne presented the photograph to the Marquis de Gravina. the photograph inscription reads:”To Marquis Gravina, prefect of Rome, His very devoted: Jules Verne,” in French.