I've always thought that Steampunk (which I really dig, by the way) was: A modern technology/item done with a Victorian-era styling in a Rube Goldberg way generally involving gears and steam power.
Steampunk does not have to be practical and need not obey the laws of physics. It just has to be overly complicated and made from materials available from 1850-1920.
Steampunk does not have to be practical and need not obey the laws of physics. It just has to be overly complicated and made from materials available from 1850-1920.