Whether you're a complete novice or somewhat initiated, discover the origins of Steampunk in just a few minutes!
How can we define this lesser-known yet highly recognizable science fiction style? Journey through these fascinating Steampunk literary works and explore the growing community that lives this steam-powered passion. Retrofuturism now extends to all forms of Art and expression.
Discover the origins of these incredible objects. You'll see the instantly recognizable accessories and how DIY is becoming commonplace for personalization.
Definition of Steampunk: A Retrofuturistic Science Fiction

Defining steampunk isn't straightforward. Therefore, we offer several definitions to satisfy purists and the more permissive alike; otherwise, check out Wikipedia...
What is Steampunk?
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It's an Uchronia that loves mixing popular culture from the late 19th century with historical realities of the Victorian era. It's a blend of futuristic imagination, retro aesthetics, and the industrial revolution.
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Steampunk is a concept originating from literature where technology never advanced beyond steam engines (Steam: vapor in English). It has existed for a long time, well before the term was coined; one could say that Jules Verne or H.G. Wells already align with the style.
Which Era Does Steampunk Represent?
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Steampunk is also called Victorian science fiction. Note that it focuses on technologies and the steam era but can include magic and the fantastical.
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Aesthetically, steampunk draws its irresistible charm from the refined elegance of the Victorian era (1837-1901) in England, the splendor of the Belle Époque (1871-1914) in France, and the bold style of the American Civil War (1861-1865) in the United States.

Why 'Punk' in Steampunk?
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The inventor of the term is originating author K.W. Jeter. Steam for steam, nodding to the industrial revolution, and Punk to differentiate his works from other science fiction authors in the late 1980s (referencing cyberpunk). Therefore, purists might say that before this date (1987), it wasn't steampunk.
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The use of the term "punk" in Steampunk also stems from its rebellious roots and rejection of conventions, embodying true values. It's a counter-culture that's quirky and unbridled. Its marginal, anti-consumerist mindset emphasizes DIY, much like the original punk movement.
Who Are the Punks Today, and How to Recognize One?
Today's punks are passionate and rebellious individuals who continue to proudly wave the flag of a vibrant and daring movement. To recognize a punk, observe their unmistakable style characterized by ripped clothing, colorful spiky hair, piercings, and tattoos.
Who Invented Punk, and Where Did It Originate?
Punk, this creative and musical explosion, was invented by revolutionary spirits like the Sex Pistols and The Clash in the UK, as well as the Ramones in the USA, during the 1970s.
How Do Punks Dress?
Punks dress boldly and provocatively, wearing studded leather jackets, ripped jeans, t-shirts printed with rebellious messages, and accessorizing with chains and spiked bracelets. So, what characterizes a world that fits into the retrofuturistic universe?
1) The Steampunk Style and the Steam Engine
The natural setting often takes place when England was an empire. During this period, the foundations of technological advancement with the steam engine, science, and society were laid, with the industrial revolution and colonization as a backdrop.
Many authors in various languages are associated with the style long before the term "Steampunk" was invented. We find authors like Jules Verne, but also others like H.G. Wells, Albert Robida, or Mary Shelley.
They have significantly influenced and structured this unnamed movement. Haven't you been amazed by Captain Nemo and his submarine, the Nautilus, or by the time machine, or Dr. Frankenstein's resurrection device? We have covered the topic of the style before the term Steampunk was coined.

At the risk of repeating, it was in the 1980s that the steampunk movement became a recognized literary genre. Authors like Tim Powers, James Blaylock, William Gibson, and Bruce Sterling created rich and captivating works. The Victorian era regained color thanks to the steampunk movement.
This ambiance is indescribable with its outdated yet efficient technology, bolts, gears, and other pieces... steam everywhere. Metals with warm colors like copper, brass, and, of course, steel. All mixed with fashion elements, architecture, and English myths from the Victorian era and the Belle Époque.

This movement is teeming with works and inventions; it smells of vintage and DIY. You often see mad scientists or mechanics with their surreal tools. The steam engine is everywhere—planes, airships, mechanical computers, etc.
It's about combining elements of Victorian-era technologies to create something elegant that explains modern complexity in a simplistic way. It's not just smoke and mirrors but a Uchronia with enough logical basis to support the concept of this style.
The literary genre is thus an ideal means of expression to critique technology and the humans who use it. Beyond aesthetics, it's a sort of reflection and sharing on the evolution of the world. It allows for personal contributions, which has led to retrofuturistic genres now extending to several eras, from the 18th century to the Roaring Twenties, and even sometimes up to World War II with Dieselpunk (Captain Tomorrow).

The steampunk movement thus has as its basic elements visual aesthetics derived from the industrial revolution and the Victorian era. This creates delightful blends, like western-punk (Wild Wild West), dreampunk (Arthur and the Invisibles), raypunk (Flash Gordon), and atompunk (Fallout games). Cyberpunk once dominated but has almost disappeared (perhaps because it resembles our current era too much).
But let's skip the sub-genres and return to the classic—a very thin line between a credible and wacky world makes it exhilarating. The genre is clearly fantastical, given the incredible machines, like in a Jules Verne novel, which can't function in a normal world.
From the beginning of the movement, for example, time travel is mixed with Egypt (The Anubis Gates) or Excalibur (Morlock Night). It's common to add myths from the Victorian era, like Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes, Dorian Gray, the Invisible Man, or Dracula... The fantastical often accompanies the gothic, enriching both form and substance.
To delve deeper into what the term truly encompasses, we recommend the French Steampunk guide as an encyclopedia and other works for their ideas and illustrations:
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Le Guide Steampunk by Arthur Morgan and Étienne Barillier.
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Tout le Steampunk! by Raphaël Colson
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The Steampunk Bible by Jeff VanderMeer
But it's even more thrilling when we bring this imagination to life!
2) The Steampunk Community: A Cultural Movement
Long considered a sub-genre of literature, the movement has become very materialistic. Now, objects like goggles, the famous steampunk goggles, the top hat, the bowler hat, and pocket watches are distinctive signs of steampunk fashion.
But it's also a philosophy, a lifestyle. The initial images on every Facebook group, other social networks, forums, or amateur illustration sites are more or less always of the same type.
Firstly, we see a cultural movement with people in costumes, cosplay.
Colors like black, brown, beige, and white dominate the fabrics. Their arrangement immediately evokes another era and different postures, like the emblematic plague doctor. Steampunk isn't just reading; it's lived and embodied in bodies, a lifestyle, and a constant desire for creativity, breaking the codes of our daily lives.
A good example is the Burning Man festival, which takes place annually in the United States over a week. Thousands of participants live self-sufficiently in the middle of the desert. It's the perfect opportunity to bring the craziest projects to life, especially artistic ones, with floats, giant sculptures, and cosplay.

A parade of exhibitions featuring the most incredible costumes. It's quite amusing to see how much the festival's visual codes were inspired by Mad Max, especially the famous Thunderdome found both at Burning Man and in Mad Max, before becoming an inspiration for the latest film released in 2015. In short, this festival is imbued with visuals from the industrial revolution and retrofuturism.
Beyond conventions and other events, the community also extends into the virtual world.
For example, one can learn to build every element of their home in a steampunk style in the giant sandbox game Minecraft. Many blogs provide basics for dressing steampunk. This embodiment seems to be at the heart of the movement's evolution.
Cosplay fans, if they choose to present a cosplay at a convention, generally don't disguise themselves as generic characters but as Star Wars characters with steampunk goggles, Star Trek characters with gas masks, or Stargate characters appearing from the Victorian era... However, in steampunk culture, it's much more common not to make references.
The steamer likes to think: I've created a character with my top hat. Of course, there might be a bit of Jules Verne, a bit of Lovecraft, or Tesla; we might imagine ourselves as Sherlock Holmes or Dracula in mechanized vampire mode. The decade-long debate among writers is that the increasing commercialism has diluted the critical aspect of steampunk works... the "punk" aspect. Their argument is that steampunk has been reduced to a romantic backdrop, filled with its codes like the famous protective goggles or brass lamps.
3) Steampunk Art: A Sub-genre Between Past and Future
Cinema, for example, has popularized the style with numerous Steampunk Films. At the beginning of the 7th art, Georges Méliès created masterpieces that we can now call steampunk, as did adaptations of Jules Verne's books a few decades later.

More recently, in cinema, we've enjoyed "The Prestige" by Christopher Nolan or films by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, like "The City of Lost Children," which were heavily influenced by 19th-century style. Hollywood tried its hand at staging the genre with low-quality films like "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" (shall we talk about the submarine?). More recently, "Mortal Engines" was released, an adaptation of the fantasy book of the same name, which received a mixed reception.
There's also an art that has developed thanks to its highly visual aspect and very recognizable codes. The style has evolved to be primarily a very graphic and narrative style and, more broadly, an aesthetic transmitted in painting, architecture, or sculpture. Discover some incredible artists in our article dedicated to Steampunk Art.
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There's also a whole musical universe with bands claiming to make steampunk music.
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Steampunk video games like "Final Fantasy VI," "Dishonored," or "Bioshock," and other less-known but ambitious titles where submarines and goggles are fitting.
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Steampunk TV series are also influenced by the retrofuturistic style for our greatest pleasure, with Penny Dreadful, "Warehouse 13," "Doctor Who," or more recently "Carnival Row."
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Steampunk manga also appreciate retrofuturism. We can no longer count the references in films by the greatest, Hayao Miyazaki, to name him. The most well-known title in French comics is "Adèle Blanc-Sec" (also adapted into a film).
Is Steampunk Style the Victorian Era?

Regarding clothing initially, we can distinguish several influences like the Victorian England that feeds the style. Moreover, Gothic also draws inspiration from this period and blends quite well with steampunk. Other trends like rock and punk are sometimes appropriate.
It has extended to fashion since the 2000s with Kit Stølen, who likes to define himself as an anachronaut. For him, the "punk" in steampunk represents the creator's individuality through their artistic representation. Like craftsmanship, combining beauty and functionality, clothes should be wearable, according to him. He popularized steampunk elements in our everyday clothing; accessories like necklaces, goggles, or the bowler hat integrate better.
Of course, you'll still be out of place and scrutinized if you wear a steampunk top hat to a job interview, but it's about daring to cultivate your differences. Kit Stølen's message is to stop conformism; it oppresses us and prevents us from revealing ourselves.
1) Women's Clothing
Everyone has in mind the blouses, corsets and dresses from the 19th century Victorian era or the Belle Époque. Skirts and all those outdated wardrobe items find new freshness by mixing industrial or fantastical elements.
On the menu of accessories: Steampunk Jewelry also takes its origin and source from the vintage theme with metallic colors like silver, gold, bronze, copper, or brass.
But beware! Women are independent and strong in this world. Modernity allows wearing anachronistic women's clothing like pants and even leggings. This is, in a way, the great strength of the movement; everyone brings a part of themselves into their wardrobe.
2) Men's Clothing

The most widespread image is that of the dandy with his English top hat from the 19th century with incorporated goggles. The suits are influenced by the Victorian era again, but not just those of aristocrats. The Scotland Yard police and Her Majesty's army have costume details greatly appreciated for their spectacular effects. You can consult the men's clothing guide; you'll be surprised to find ideas like boots or tailcoats for your future steampunk costumes.
3) Steampunk Cosplay and DIY

These fictional sub-genres provide a steampunk framework, a space, in short, a sandbox, which is the most basic definition of the game. It's this link between games, passions, fictions, imaginary worlds as a framework for expressing individual and collective identity that pushes participation. Taking part in what's happening since the origins and thus being part of a collective or community is exhilarating.
But it's also about staging, appropriating objects and technology, and building one's individuality, which takes extremely numerous forms in the case of steampunk. Participatory activities abound; in particular, this genre has taken all its scope and dimension through the plastic and visual arts more than in fan-fiction and podcasts.
On the menu, a lot of visual steampunk elements with steam engines.
Objects like steampunk lamps, gas masks, the English top hat from the Victorian era... make the steampunk cultural movement. To my knowledge, it's the only example where, when you type the name of a literary genre on Amazon, the first results are all objects and not books, except perhaps one or two exceptions like "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen."
On all amateur illustration sites, Facebook group pages, or Twitter pages, simply typing the keyword steampunk offers us a profusion of incredibly rich works.
I can only encourage you to spend some time if, like us, you appreciate these aesthetics. Everything is there, but we find, of course, as with cyberpunk, a strong presence of urban landscapes, machines, and objects—again, steampunk objects.
Moreover, in this culture, costumes are always complemented with various accessories: cane with copper and silver pommel, retro goggles... the famous goggles and other jetpacks. They pay homage to the first superheroes or films like "The Rocketeer" by Joe Johnston; a little-known gem signed by Disney, which unfortunately flopped at the time, like almost all steampunk films.
Then, deco blogs talk a lot about customized objects connoted from the 19th-century Victorian era. Electric guitars, books, computers, jewelry, cars, game consoles (not the Minitel; it's already steampunk), and a whole bunch of other everyday objects.
It even seems that shops like Steampunk Store are developing to display and sell Steampunk Decorations. There's also the reign of DIY, that is, "do it yourself," a kind of cooperative learning that forges a very strong community feeling.
What Is the Evolution of Steampunk Style?
Over the years, the style has continually reinvented itself, enriching itself with new influences and opening up to ever-wider horizons. The abundant creativity of its followers has allowed exploration of unprecedented facets of this universe, evolving codes and aesthetics.
From the emergence of currents like Dieselpunk and Clockpunk, which push the limits of retrofuturism, to the integration of contemporary themes and the exploration of societal questions, Steampunk constantly reinvents itself to surprise and move us.
By drawing from literature the resources of our history and confronting them with our reality, this ever-evolving universe invites us to rethink our relationship with time, technology, and society, while celebrating the infinite richness of human imagination.

And now, you'll be convinced, like me, that most people appreciate the trend, used in so many science fiction works, without knowing steampunk. Since then, the style has attracted many people for various reasons. Some are simply drawn to the Victorian era, others by the industrial, vintage, or the genre's powerful imagination.
Thank you all for reading this long piece. Share, visit the store if you're looking for objects. I hope you want to learn more. For my part, I'll see you in a future article... See you soon, Steamer!