$12,000 French Harp Player Automaton c. 1870

I don't have much to say about this other than it must be a both amazing and creepy to see this rather expensive automaton in motion.

From the eBay listing:
"Musical automaton, French, 1870, purchased from Theriault's, cost was $12,000, harp has been restrung by Classic Tin Toy Co., beautiful working order, the hands move across the harp, the head turns back and forth, the eyelids move, as well as the mouth..."

Here the link to the full the eBay listing for French Harp Player Automaton.

Stumble It!

Vichy Automaton of a Drunkard on Park Bench

Here is a short video of an automaton by Vichy depicting a drunken man on a park bench. I find the figure's movements very convincing: the sloppy swaying and shifting, the heavy eyelids, the silently muttering to himself.

Vichy was known for the subtlety of motion their automata possessed. Vichy showed several automata at Paris Universal Exposition of 1878. One observer noted that, "...Vichy's automata are distinguished by the flexibility and precision of their gestures...". One hundred and thirty years later, I can't argue.

Vichy is one of one of several French automata makers covered in the large format hardcover Automata: The Golden Age 1848-1914

Stumble It!

Classic Automata from Skinner Auction, July 2006

Take a look at this generous video clip of a variety of classic automata by many of the famous French automaton makers.

I especially like the Monkey Duet tableau and the fact you get to see the workings of the piece.

You can learn more about many of the makers of these automata from Christian Bailly's book: Automata: The Golden Age.

Stumble It!

Automaton of Magician Doing a Levitatation Trick

I adore and admire the work of automata maker Pierre Mayer. Here is one of his recent pieces depicting a magician levitating from his stool. Simply amazing!

From the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre:
Fechner's Levitation on Stool Automata

The latest piece from French magician/automatist Pierre Mayer, this piece is based on the cigar smoking magician Fechner, who levitates above his stool, even more puzzling is that the arms raise during the levitation without any links to the mechanism -- many magicians have already been fooled by this!

Do visit the CMT online shop to see Fechner's Levitation on Stool Automata and MANY superb automata.

Stumble It!

Automaton of Laughing Man with Lifelike Motion

Here's an automaton to help you get your week off to a good start. This laughing man automaton is part of the collection on display at the Musée de l'Automate in Souillac, France.

Stumble It!

Jacques de Vaucanson - Automaton Maker

Automates-anciens.com is a great site offering information about automata, automaton makers of old, videos, DVDs, books, and music boxes. They have translated their entire site into several languages, including English.

I posted previously about Vaucanson's Duck Automaton. They have an entire page dedicated to this innovative man.

From the Site:
Both a technician and talented watchmaker, Jacques de Vaucanson made himself famous from England to Russia from his creation of sophisticated androids. He also created inventions such as the rubber pipe, the weaving loom, and the never ending chain.

Visit automates-anciens.com to learn more about Jacques de Vaucanson.

Stumble It!

Vaucanson's Defecating Duck Automaton

One of the earliest well known automata was The Duck by Jacques de Vaucanson, first exhibited in 1739. Vaucanson (1709 - 1782) was a French engineer credited with creating fine automata that some regard as world's first robots. He is also credited with creating the first completely automated loom.

Here is a link to a video featuring a reproduction of Vaucanson's duck automaton on YouTube. If I am not mistaken, this reproduction was made by Frédéric Vidoni for the Museum of the Automata in Grenoble, in order to pay tribute to Vaucanson.

Here is a link to an earlier post with a photo of Vaucanson's duck, showing some of the workings of the original mechanism.

More on Vaucanson and his creations can be found in these books:
* Edison's Eve: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life
* Crescendo of the Virtuoso: Spectacle, Skill, and Self-Promotion in Paris during the Age of Revolution

Stumble It!

The Shadow Automata of Emmanuel Cottier

Dedicated reader of The Automata / Automaton Blog and kinetic sculpture expert, Falk Keuten, has offered some additional information on The Musee National De Monaco.

He tells me that there they have had on display a mechanical shadow theater by the artist Emmanuel Cottier -- a clockmaker who lived near Geneva.

The exhibit documented in photographs and posted online is from an earlier exhibition at the museum of Carouge near Geneva. The mechanisms are fascinating. The text is in French. For non-French speakers, simply follow the link in the lower right labeled "Pour voir la suite..."

Enjoy the Shadow Automata of Emmanuel Cottier. [Thanks Falk!]

You can learn more about this collection at The Musee National De Monaco from the book: The Mechanical Dolls of Monte Carlo

Stumble It!

Musee National De Monaco - Automata Collection

A reader of The Automata / Automaton Blog has kindly directed me to a fantastic museum with automata.

If you find yourself in the south of France and like automata, the Musee National De Monaco is an incredible museum.

They have a collection of Parisian automata from the latter half of the 19th Century.

I am told they offer a tour in which the guide operates many of the automata for visitors.

Visit the web site for the Musee National De Monaco.

Stumble It!

Robot Factory - Steampunk Windup Sculptures

Fascinated with machines since he was a boy, artist Serge Jupin creates metal automata from found objects.

At www.robot-factory.fr you can purchase his amazing retro-future works.

The robot shown here is known as Wattson. I love this stuff. These are tin-toys for the Steampunk generation.

Robot Factory automata are original handmade limited editions, numbered, and signed. Each robot comes with a certificate of authenticity.

Visit ROBOT FACTORY to see his full line of automata.

Stumble It!

Good post about The Writer by Jacquez-Droz

I posted about The Writer by Pierre Jacquez-Droz back in June of 2006. My post links to a film clip by the film-maker Philipe Sayous.

I met Monsieur Sayous in Paris in 2005. His films are very well made. I recommend them especially to educators. (Be sure to order the NTSC version if you live in the States and buy a video.)

Here's a new post on what may be the most amazing automaton ever created: The Writer (at Fogonazos).

We should all keep in mind how difficult it is to write with pen and ink. The Writer is so carefully thought out, that he taps the quill on the edge of the inkwell to remove excess ink before beginning to write.

I found the recent post via this post on BoingBoing.net

Stumble It!

Book: Essential Robert-Houdin

Robert-Houdin (1805-1871) revolutionized the art of magic with his incredible stage mysteries and lifelike automata, and he thankfully left a number of books recording his philosophy and techniques.

All the classic works of the great master of magic, Robert-Houdin, under one cover, lavishly illustrated with hundreds of beautiful prints, engravings, and photos. The Essential Robert-Houndin cointains the following books:

• The Secrets of Conjuring and Magic


• Card-Sharping Exposed


• The Secrets of Stage Conjuring


• The Memoirs of Robert-Houdin


• The Priory (Robert-Houdin's automated house)


• Selections from Robert-Houdin's never-before-translated scientific writings

To my knowledge this work is only available at The Miracle Factory

Stumble It!

The Writer Automaton by Pierre Jaquet-Droz

I saved the best for last. The Writer is the most complex of the three automata Jacquet-Droz automata housed at the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The Writer is programmable such that he can write out any line of text up to 40 letters long. The sentence to be written is coded on a wheel where characters are ordered individually in sequence.

He writes with a real goose feather which he dips ink. After dipping the quill, the automaton taps the quill over the inkwell to remove excess ink to prevent drips. His eyes follow the text as he writes, and his head moves when he dips the quill in the inkwell.

Again, this clip is from Monsieur Sayous's film The Jaquet-Droz Androids, available at http://www.automates-anciens.com.

The Writer by Pierre Jaquet-Droz

Stumble It!

The Musician Automaton by Jaquet-Droz

Another of three surviving Jaquet-Droz automata is The Musican. Here is a clip from THE JAQUET-DROZ ANDROIDS by Philippe Sayous. She is actually playing a custom made organ. As if that wasn't amazing enough, she moves her head to read the sheet music and can be seen breathing. Jaquet-Droz's attention to detail is astounding considering the mechanical sophistication required for the basic effect.

The full video (in French or English, NTSC or PAL) can be ordered at www.automates-anciens.com.

The Musician by Pierre Jaquet-Droz

Stumble It!

The Draftsman Automaton by Jaquet-Droz

One of three surviving Jaquet-Droz automata is The Draftsman or. Check out this clip from THE JAQUET-DROZ ANDROIDS by French producer and director Philippe Sayous. The video (in French or English, NTSC or PAL) can be ordered on his site www.automates-anciens.com. The automaton not only draws elegant pencil drawings, but it also blows the dust from the drawing. Amazing.

The Draftsman by Pierre Jaquet-Droz

Stumble It!