Baptismal plaque for the Nautilus,
Bronze
MJV G103 (Donation from Jean Verne, 2005)
This Nautilus (named after the submarine of the novel) was an old American submarine, fitted out by the Australian George Hubert Wilkins for an Arctic expedition in 1931.
Jean Gagneux
Model of the Nautilus, 1980
MJV G55 (Donation from the artist, 1981)
A Navy officer, Jean Gagneux helped fit out the Redoutable, the first French nuclear submarine. A lover of Jules Verne’s work, he devoted over a year to creating the model of the Nautilus after drawing up the technical manual and plan based on descriptions given by Jules Verne.
Jean-Marc Deschamps
Model of a diving suit inspired by the novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea., 2003
MJV G178 (Purchased from the artist, 2008)
Diving suit with helmet, 20th century
Helmet with « 3-bolt » fastener, German H.A.G. model.
Copper, bronze, nickel and glass
MJV G74
« Goat skin » suit with feet
Canvas, rubber
MJV G183
Weights and shoes with lead soles, Piel brand
Copper, bronze and lead
MJV G185/186
Waist belt and tube
Copper, bronze
MJV G184/187
The start of the 18th century saw the arrival of diving machines, which were replaced by diving suits with helmets in the early 19th century. They were used until the middle of the 20th century before being replaced by autonomous diving suits, invented by French engineers Rouquayrol and Denayrouze in 1864.
Verne-style diving suits
His lectures and visit to the Paris World’s Fair in 1867 taught Jules Verne about diver equipment at the time he was writing Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1869-1870): He equipped Captain Nemo and his companions with the diving suit with helmet also known as « heavy-feet », comprising a closed waterproof garment, which was weighted and topped with a screw-on metal helmet. The diver is usually supplied with air by a tube connected to a pump activated at the surface, as is the case on the model shown here. But Jules Verne attached to the diving suit the Rouquayrol-Denayrouze device, a tank of compressed air equipped with a pressure reducing valve which supplies the diver with air on request, at the pressure appropriate to their depth. He even adapted it to the ambitions of his heroes by increasing its autonomy (up to 10 hours). A diving suit is also part of the plot of another Jules Verne’s novel, La Jaganda.
Didier Graffet
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Pencil drawing, dedicated to the Jules Verne Museum, 2011
MJV C480 (Donated by the artist, 2012)
Didier Graffet is a great illustrator of imaginary worlds. Through his collaboration with publishers of youth fiction he has become one of France’s leading artists in creation of covers for fantasy and science-fiction novels. He has developed a medieval-fantastic style and explores Nordic and Celtic mythologies, imaginary journeys and steampunk.
His favourite themes are territories on the very edge of reality. He draws
his inspiration from lands surrounded by mystery, highlighting the natural details that leave room for creation.
Respect for the texts he illustrates is an important aspect of his work. He
immerses himself in a story’s atmosphere, taking notes on its characters
and the situations described. So Jules Verne’s imagined worlds have
their role to play in his creative output. In 2002, he collaborated with Editions Gründ to illustrate Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea and again in 2005 for The Mysterious Island.
Jame’s Prunier
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Watercolour on paper
Illustration for the adaptation of Jules Verne’s novel
Éditions Gallimard Jeunesse, 1998
MJV C565 (Purchased from the artist, 2005)
Didier Graffet
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Acrylic on cardboard
Illustration for the adaptation of Jules Verne’s novel
Éditions Gründ, 2002
MJV C484 (Purchased from the artist, 2012)
