Handkerchief

Dateca. 1841

After work by Charles Jameson Grant (British, 1829 - 1846)

MediumCotton, plate printed

DimensionsSight: 15 1/2" x 20 1/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number2010-31

DescriptionRectangular handkerchief printed in red on white cotton in a design depicting "The Century of Invention. Anno Domini 2000." People dressed in late 1830s clothing are shown in satirical scenes riding hot air balloons, steam-powered cars, and driving various other moving vehicles of the type predicted to be in existence by the year 2000. Several men have wings strapped to their bodies. Ink inscription in corner reads "printed 1841".
Label TextBy the 1830s, cartoonists were lampooning the experimental steam-powered vehicles and locomotives invented in the early years of the 1800s and destined to become increasingly popular. This design, adapted from the work of Charles Jameson Grant (British, active 1829-1846), shows an artist's satirical view of what transportation would be like in the year 2000. The handkerchief illustrates the limited success of future predictions.

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