Origins and the Portrayal of Steampunk in Popular Culture

As individual experience, Steampunk can be as you want it to be. The Decimononic team knows that this ‘individuality’ is one of the exciting elements unique to the style- It really is ‘tailor-made’ to its wearer! One is able to literally make it up as one goes along. But surely there must be elements, links that we can base our look on?

Everything is covered, Steampunk is inspiration for fashion, art and lifestyle so it’s not just about aviator hats and goggles. This was abundantly clear as I looked through the thousands of images. We know the elements that make up the style of the Victorian cyberinventor or that bumbling air pirate look that we all love.

Another question cropped up during this research: How has the Steampunk ‘word’ spread? One way is through the media, more importantly through popular culture. I wanted to get to the very beginnings of the media aspect for Decimononic, and where better to start than in literature?

The Time Machine by HG Wells – First edition cover 1895 London

1.- The relationship between Steampunk and Literature

The archetypal Science Fiction authors most likely were unaware of what they were beginning as they were published. The distinct lifestyle look began life as a small seed stemming from the imagination of these authors. Most notably two of the earliest pioneers of Science Fiction: Jules Verne and HG Wells.

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