Often called a “prophet”, “visionary” or “clairvoyant”, Albert Robida’s work is said by Philippe Willems to be written in a stereoscopic way, that is to say the future is seen in three dimensions, using a stereoscope. In this article, I will show that another optical device had an even more significant influence: the magic lantern. This magic box is indeed a recurrent metaphor in both his literature and illustrations, and it even inspired an invention in the future: the telephonoscope.