Sunday, August 9, 2026

Automata

I found this in Leslie Caron's memoir Thank Heaven.


She describes several "automatons": the clockwork creations of 18th-century craftsmen. 

Famous historical automata are primarily housed in Swiss museums and prestigious European private collections.




Below are a few videos (with some overlap) that show these devices

https://youtu.be/6Nt7xLAfEPs?is=THi-acZzwhyxACty


The world's premier and most famous examples of these precise 18th-century android automata can be found at the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.


https://youtu.be/6Nt7xLAfEPs?is=aC68mctWmTVq7jnK


The Jaquet-Droz Automata: Created between 1768 and 1774 by Pierre Jaquet-Droz and his son Henri-Louis, these 3 clockwork marvels (known as The Writer, The Musician, and The Draughtsman) are examples of the incredible workmanship involved.


https://youtu.be/nITEU4fsqCU?is=4W55vWO1XMjt1stw


https://youtu.be/buRMXn6iedE?is=A-nanf_fy3gA-3ck


MORE! automata

https://youtu.be/EElOwG_RVLg?is=CimZdwroiAvlukyU


(I have yet to explore this "tunnel")

Swiss National Museum: The Swiss National Museum - Château de Prangins also preserves significant historical horological collections from the 18th and 19th centuries.

https://youtu.be/C7oSFNKIlaM?is=GZqnWGedQUDfUVBI


https://youtu.be/WofWNcMHcl0?is=ulAq_rn4WODTttvt


https://youtu.be/Mwt080v24gA?is=ehhYonTAQ8vFC2B7