Victorian visions of the future

When the Victorians imagined the 21st century, they pictured a world powered by the wonders of electricity, with smartly dressed men in impeccable suits whizzing around on flying machines, getting their food delivered electronically, dialling in to the opera, and even whisking their wives off for a romantic honeymoon in space. Iwan Rhys Morus speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about the 19th century’s grand ambitions in the realms of science and technology, and Victorian visions of innovations – both real and imagined – that would shape the future in their own image.

Iwan Rhys Morus is the author of How the Victorians Took Us to the Moon (Icon, 2022)