Technology from the 18th and 19th century often seems downright steampunk, when one considers the amazing advances mechanical geniuses made in mechanisms such as clocks, music boxes, and automatons, which were quite literally, robots, or androids. No, they didn’t go about shouting “Danger, Will Robinson” or make friends with humans or even take over the world (or ship), but they did move in complex ways. In the case of this charming automaton, they could also play music. This particular marvel was created by German engineers Pierre Kintzing and David Roentgen in the 18th century for Queen Marie Antoinette. During the French revolution, it was badly damaged. Robert Houdin recognized its value and restored it in 1864. What is truly unique about this android over others of her era, is she actually makes the music, rather than simply moving while music is played by hidden gears. Remarkable, isn’t it?
Enjoy!
© Til productions – Jean-Luc Muller Tiré des bonus du DVD “ROBERT-HOUDIN une vie de magicien”
Robots in the Regency posted first on http://donnahatchnovels.tumblr.com/
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